The Star of His Sea
by KristenTheKittyKat
Summary: Diego never meant to hurt the baby, nor did he ever want to be bothered with his old pack. But he was forced to. How, you ask? Well, let's just say that family comes with a price, as does unconditional love. Set during all movies, maybe after. New OC!
1. Uneasy Tides

Okay, uh, my other IA story didn't go as I planned. So! To make up for that horrible mistake, I have thought this up! To all my readers to "Do You Remember?" I am SO sorry!But here is a peace offering! Please except it and wait till I get the inspiration for that other fic back! I didn't want it to seem strained, so I just paused. I'll press play eventually :)

Anyway, here's the full summary: Diego was never evil. He never had a grudge against the humans for what they did. He realized sabers were a threat to them. He took his daughter and ran. That's right, he has a daughter. Read as he is forced to hunt down the baby to save his daughter from the claws of his old pack-mates. Read as the course of the IA movies are changed, though not too drastically. Join Diego, Mariana and the herd on their adventures throughout the course of the three movies.

The title comes from my OC's name. Mariana means "Star of the Sea" and Diego views her as "The Star of His Sea." Get it?

DISCLAIMER: I only own Mariana.

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~

"What do you want?" Diego asked, exhausted. His old pack had randomly showed up as he was watching his daughter play. He didn't want them around her, but there wasn't much he could do about that. They could easily outnumber him.

"We want you to help us catch something," Soto said, glancing to the east of where they were.

"Do it yourself, I'm a little busy," Diego said.

Oscar glared. "We can't do it without you." Diego heard him grinding his teeth. "We've already tried."

"If four of you couldn't do it, what makes you think five can?"

"You will," Soto ordered.

Diego glared. "Or what?"

"Or your daughter will serve as a replacement."

Diego snarled. He sprung up, but didn't attack. "You won't touch her," he said lowly.

"What are you gonna do about it?" Lenny asked.

"Y-Yeah!" Zeke shouted with a twitch. "You can't beat us!"

Diego glared, but then sighed. It was true. There were four- no, looking at Zeke- three strong tigers against one rouge and his six-year-old daughter. He glanced to the side.

She was the spitting image of her mother, may she rest in peace. The same peach fur, the same hazel brown eyes, the same long tail. She was jumping through the snow chasing snowflakes as they fell to the Earth.

He looked into Soto's eyes. "What do you need help with?"

Soto chuckled. "That's the Diego I know. You know the humans that slaughtered our pack?" How could he forget? "Well, we're getting them back."

Diego raised a brow. "Explain."

"The pack leader had a baby," Soto informed. "We take the kid, eat him, and live happily ever after with our revenge quenched and bellies full."

"Sick," Diego spat. "I won't help you murder an innocent child."

"Then prepare to watch another one, your child, take its place," Oscar sneered.

Diego glared. He was stuck. There was no way he was getting out of hunting that baby. He sighed. "Fine. When does this hunt happen?"

"Meet us before dawn by the old cave," Soto ordered as he turned. "Don't be late."

When they left, his daughter ran toward him. "Daddy, who were they?"

Diego sighed and nuzzled his daughter's cheek. "You don't need to worry about that, Mariana. Everything's fine."

Mariana smiled. "Okay, Daddy."

"Now listen, Mari; Daddy's gonna be gone tomorrow a while. When you wake up, don't leave the cave. I'll be back, I promise."

"Okay, Daddy!" she shouted happily, nuzzling his leg. "Don't be gone too long!"

Diego smiled, if not a little sad.

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~

It was short, I know, but it is just the beginning. The chapters will get longer, I promise!

Again, sorry for my other story!

Stars and Boulevards,

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~


	2. Tigers on the Prowl

Sorry if it sounds rushed! The ending kinda was, but this is the only chance I got to update! Take it! It's yours! :)

Mariana: Pronounced Mah-ree-ah-na

**DISCLAIMER: I own the plot and Mariana. That's all.**

***-KTKK-* ~Kitty~**

The sky was pink, orange, yellow, blue, and every other color in-between. Five sabers emerged from the rocks above the human encampment, staying as quiet as possible. As they went downhill, rocks slid under they're paws. Soto cursed when the dogs started barking. The plan was to slip in and out, but now they had to go with plan B: Diego would get the baby while the others distracted the humans. Easy.

As the other four intercepted the humans, Diego slipped past them and to the tents. 'Please let Mariana be okay,' he thought as he searched the tents, looking for the human. 'Why didn't Soto tell me which tent it was in?'

As he crept into one, he saw the baby sleeping. He silently made his way to it, but stopped when a human grabbed it. The human, a female by the length of her hair and her muscle structure, looked at him in fear. She whacked him in the head with a stick and ran out of the tent while he was distracted.

Cursing under his breath, he ran after her. 'If I lose _this_ baby, I lose _my_ baby.' With new determination, he ran faster. They ended up by the river, and he used a rock to confuse his scared prey. He ran under it as she tried to go that way to escape and clawed at her, only catching a neckalace with his silver claws. Slamming it down on the ground, he continued to run through the water after her. 'Don't think about the water,' he thought with a shudder. 'You're doing this for your Mari.'

He finally cornered her at the waterfall. She kept glancing at him and over the edge as he stalked closer, until she finally squeezed her eyes and jumped off the edge, taking the baby with her. He looked over the edge, anger and desperation on his face.

'That was it. That was mine and Mariana's last hope.'

He jogged back to Soto and the others, cringing when he heard Soto yell, "There's Diego! Fall back!"

He ran by Soto as they made their getaway.

"Where's the baby?" Soto asked, looking at Diego out of the corner of his eyes.

"I lost it over the falls," he admitted.

"You lost it?" Soto snapped. "I wanted that baby, Diego. I guess your daughter will have to do."

Diego suddenly stopped, so sudden that he missed the subtle nod that Soto sent to Oscar, the tiger slipping away. "Wait! I can get that baby!"

"How?" Soto asked. "We don't even know if it survived! And if so, how will you find it? That river's current is strong."

"I-I don't know, but I'll find it! Please; give me a week! Two days at the least! Just- don't hurt my daughter!" he shouted, desperate.

Soto narrowed his eyes. Just then, Oscar trotted up to Soto, dropping a saber cub out of his mouth and to the ground. Soto smirked at Diego.

"Daddy," Mariana whimpered. "What's going on?"

Diego's heart squeezed painfully in his chest. "Nothing sweetie, just talking with some friends."

"Meet us up at Half Peak. It had better be alive," Soto ordered.

"Can you handle that?" Oscar sneered.

"Can she come with me?" Diego asked, pawing nervously at the ground. He didn't want them to have his daughter.

Soto shook his head. "No no. Wouldn't want you to run off with her. Don't worry. She'll be safe with us." He grinned.

Diego swallowed thickly.

"Daddy?" Mariana asked. "W-What's going on?"

"Daddy got mixed up in... some business, Mari," he said painfully. "You're gonna stay with my friends here until I settle a mess out, okay? Can you be a big girl for me?"

She nodded and rubbed up against his leg. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you too, Mariana."

"Hurry, Diego," Soto said as they left, Mariana in Oscar's mouth. "I tend to get impatient."

Diego sighed, and turned to scale down the waterfall so he could start his search. A million thoughts ran through his mind as he made his way down. When he got to a ledge near the ground, his attention turned toward a voice.

"I'm fine, I'm fine. I'm gonna die."

He saw a sloth trying to climb up the rocks with a mammoth below. Strange sight. As he looked closer at the sloth, he saw that he was carrying a brown bundle. But as he looked closer, he saw that it was... the baby! This was his chance! He could probably even catch up to the others before they got too far ahead.

The kid started go fall. Seeing his chance, he jumped from the ledge just as the sloth shouted, "Manny!" He grabbed the kid before the mammoth caught him. He slid to a stop, turning to jump off and get back to Soto.

He was stopped when the mammoth punched him in the face, grabbing the baby.

Diego's instincts kicked in. He temporarely lost his state of mind. He let out a feral snarl and clawed at the thing that hurt him. He snapped out of it, clearing his throat.

"Uh, sorry. That pink thing is mine."

Climbing down, the sloth corrected him. "No. Actually, that pink thing belongs to us."

Diego had had a long, stressful morning. And he dealt with it with sarcasm. "'Us'? You two are a bit of an odd couple."

"There is no 'us'," the mammoth said gruffly.

He continued as if he hadn't heard him. "I see. Can't have one of your own, so you want to adopt."

"Look, I'm sorry if we interupted your snack, but we gotta go," the mammoth glared, holding the baby closer.

"The baby?" Diego asked. "Please. I was returning him to his herd."

"Oh, yeah," the sloth said, not sounding convinced. "Nice try, bucktooth."

With a growl, Diego got into the sloth's face, unsettled by the bucktooth comment. "You callin me a liar?"

"I didn't say that."

"But you were thinkin it."

"I don't like this cat. He reads minds."

"Name's Diego, friend."

"Manfred. And I'm not your friend."

And the conversation went from there. Diego lost all hope when they left with the baby. He finally decided to follow them, maybe try again. He had to. He had to protect Mariana.

***-KTKK-* ~Kitty~**

I feel like it was rushed, but oh well.

Review! And uh, to all who reviewed last chapter, I give you my thanks! Ever since I posted this story, I've been meaning to send you PMs, but my family has dragged me everywhere today! I might not update for a while, but please don't be mad with me!

***-KTKK-* ~Kitty~**


	3. Taking Care of the Baby

Okay. It's official. I'm lazy. I don't wanna send out PMs and thank everyone personally, so I'll just say it now.

Thank you all for the reviews! Thanks to all who added me to Author Alert! Thanks to all who added me as Favorite Author! Thanks to all who put this story on Story Alert! Thanks to all who added this story to Favorite Story!

Ahem. So now that my conscious is (partly) cleared, let's get on to the story!

DISCLAIMER: I own my OC, Mariana (who's portfolio is now on my profile). I own the plot. The original characters are not mine.

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~

Mariana glanced at Soto. She had just learned his name, along with the others'. The only one that wasn't very mean to her was Lenny. She didn't like it with them. She wanted her daddy. Her neck was getting tired from getting carried. She wriggled in Oscar's grip, and she dropped to the ground.

"Would you stop wiggling?" Oscar snapped.

"I-I'm sorry, it just hurt a little," she whimpered, her ears pulling back.

"Leave the kid alone, Oscar. I'll watch her," Lenny offered. Oscar grumbled, but left.

Mariana smiled at Lenny. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now let's go. I'm sure you can walk just fine."

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~

Diego sighed. He had finally convinced Manny to let him lead them to Glacier Pass, but he felt guilty. He didn't want these animals, no matter who annoying the sloth was or how rude the mammoth was, to be caught up in his pack's "hunt." He just wanted the baby so he could get his daughter back.

He was doing pretty good keeping his mind off of his Mariana until just before the dodo incident...

"You gotta make it stop! I can't take it anymore!"

"I've eaten things that complained less!"

"He won't stop squirming!"

"Watch it's head!"

"Put it down!"

"Jeez, pick him up, put him down..."

Diego's ears pressed to his skull, but it wouldn't block the wailing. He cursed his sensitive hearing. That baby wouldn't shut up! His baby barely ever cried as a young cub. He wasn't used to this. What was wrong with him? Was he sick? Hungry? Wait, it's nose! Looking at it, he realized what was wrong.

"It's nose is dry. That means something's wrong with it," he said, searching his mind for what his mate had told him about child care.

"He's wearing one of those baby thingies," Manny said.

"So?" Sid asked.

"So if he poops, where does it go?"

Diego's nose crinkled up. Humans were disgusting.

The sloth read his mind. "Humans are disgusting."

"Okay, you," Manny said, poking Sid. "Check for poop."

Diego snickered silently. Poor sloth.

"Why am I the poop-checker?"

"Because it was your idea to return him, because you're small and insignificant, and because I'll pummel you if you don't."

Diego was beginning to like this mammoth.

"... Why else?"

Idiot.

"Now, Sid!"

And he did, spitting out nonsense about how nasty it was. "I mean, my goodness!" He started to stumble around.

"Watch it!"

"Quit wavin that thing around!"

"Oh no! I'm gonna slip!"

Sid launched it into the air, where it opened and hit Manny square in the face. He screamed and threw it to the ground, glaring at a laughing Sid. "It's clean! Got ya!"

He stop laughing when Manny hit him, his face frozen in a goofy expression. The baby laughed, but cried when Sid snapped out of it.

"Do that again," Diego said. "He likes it."

Manny did it again, and the baby laughed again. "Heh, it's makin me feel better, too."

Diego smiled. Yep. Definately starting to like this mammoth.

"Here," Sid said, trying to give Diego the baby, "you take him."

Diego hit him on the head, and the baby laughed again. Then started to cry.

Diego was suddenly struck with an idea. Mariana was just two, and the sudden loss of her mother had put her down. It had been a month, yet she was still upset. Diego had then played peek-a-boo with her to cheer her up, and it had worked. The usual happy and energetic Mariana had returned.

So, why not cheer this kid up with the same tactic?

"Here, turn him toward me."

When the baby was set in front of him, he put his paws over his eyes. "Where's the baby?" He waited a second, then removed his paws and shouted, "There he is!"

When he didn't hear any crying, he continued. But, unfortunately, the baby was scared.

"Stop it! You're scaring him!"

Then he got agitated. He was pawing at the ground, a habit he picked up when he was younger. When he was nervous or worried, he would always do it. His Mariana was with those cynical tigers. She wouldn't be able to defend herself. They had threatened to eat her. He had to get that baby. It was the only way that Mariana was going to survive this.

After the dodos, he had lead them quite a long ways, but they would have to travel another day to get to Half Peak. Throughout it all, he couldn't shake his guilt and regret. He should have moved farther away, then they wouldn't have been able to find him. He shouldn't have agreed; he should have run when he had the chance. As they lay down to rest that night, he thought it was the last chance to get the baby and save these pour animals from his mistakes. If he let them follow him to Half Peak, his old pack would slaughter them.

With that thought and a plan in his mind, he closed his eyes. He ignored the banter between the two, only waiting for the silence. When that came, he waited ten more minutes. When that passed, he waited five minutes. When he heard Manny's slow, rythemetic breathing, he opened his glowing eyes.

Creeping closer, he reached for the baby, who was in Manny's trunk. When he had just barely touched the kid, Manny unconsciously tightened his grip, bringing him closer. He bit back a growl of frustration, and tried again. His paw paused when he heard something. He stepped back, looking around.

There! On the hill, that bush was rustling. Thinking it was something that could hurt him or the others, he crouched low for a pounce. He shot forward, tackling a body to the ground. He raised his paw for a strike, but froze when he realized who it was that was beneath him.

"What the...?"

"Slice me!" Zeke shouted. "It'll be the last thing you ever do!"

"I'm workin here, you waste of fur."

"Frustrated, Diego?" Oscar asked. "Tracking down helpless infants too difficult for you?"

"What are you two doin here?" Diego asked.

"Soto's getting tired of waiting."

"Yeah he said to come back with the baby, or to not come back at all!"

Diego glared. Of course he was coming back; he had to get Mariana! At the thought of her, he asked, "Is Mariana okay?"

"The kid's okay," Oscar said. "Soto hears you're traveling with a mammoth."

Diego began to paw at the ground again. "Yeah, so?"

"So he wants mammoth meat."

"No! The mammoth didn't do anything, why does he have to be brought into this?"

"He dies, or your daughter does."

Diego's ears pinned back.

"Look at all that meat!" Zeke shouted, twitching. "Let's get him!"

"No!" Oscar shouted, jumping in front of him. "We'll need the whole pack to bring him down."

Sick of hearing them, Diego shouted, "Get out of here! Now!"

As they were leaving, Oscar said lowly, "Hurry up. Mariana misses her daddy."

Diego sighed, looking back at the mammoth. He was sleeping peacefully. Diego looked up at the sky, wishing he was miles away from there with his daughter safe by his side. He looked back down at the slumbering animals, walking back down. He slumped to the ground and fell into a restless sleep, guilt-ridden and worry-filled.

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~

Diego woke up to a glaring mammoth above him. "Where's the baby?"

"You lost it?" Diego cried. He hid his panic, hoping that the baby was alive wherever he was.

He and Manny both looked around, then shouted, "Sid!"

Manny stormed off, not giving Diego a chance to track the sloth. When Manny was out of sight, Lenny came out of the bushes.

"Lenny?" Diego asked, then noticed the little cub by Lenny's side. "Mariana!"

"Daddy!" Mariana shouted, rushing forward to nuzzle her father.

"I wanted you to know she's okay," he said. "Soto doesn't know, so hurry."

"Thank you," Diego said, his voice breaking from emotion. He turned his attention to his daughter. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "Soto and Oscar aren't very nice, though. Zeke doesn't really talk to me, just sits in a corner and twitches." At that, she giggled. "But Lenny's nice!"

Diego smiled at Lenny, though it was small. "Thank you."

"No problem. Now we gotta go before Soto realizes we were gone too long."

"Daddy loves you, honey. Be good for me," he said, licking her cheek.

"Okay!" she shouted, running back to Lenny.

"Hurry, Diego. The kid don't need this."

"I know. I'm trying." He watched as they left, then left to find Sid and the child. As he searched, he was found by Sid instead of the other way around. He was saying something like, "Oh no! A tiger! Help!"

"Where's the baby?" Diego asked.

Sid answered in a rush, "He's with Manfred. Just put me in your mouth. Hurry up! Oh no! He got me!"

"Get away from me!" Diego shouted. There was no way he was putting that sloth in his mouth when he smelled like a buzzard's butt fell off then got sprayed on by a bunch of skunks.

He turned to walk away, but froze when the sloth kicked him in the butt.

'Big mistake,' he thought. With a snarl, he turned and trapped Sid in his mouth.

When Carl and Frank came, Diego had Sid in his mouth, and a sniff confirmed that the sloth was dead. But, sadly, it was an act.

"I hate breaking their hearts like that, but you know how it is," Sid said as he tried to get his neck out of Diego's grip. "Alright, thanks. You can put me down now." When Diego didn't let go, he tried to pry open the jaws of the tiger. "Manny! Manny!" The last cry for help was strained.

"Guys, I thought we were in a hurry," Manny said as he strolled by. "And Diego, spit that out. You don't know where it's been."

At that, Diego's eyes widened, and he dropped Sid.

"Boy, for a second there, I really thought you were gonna eat me."

"I don't eat junk food."

"I thought you were gonna... Thought you were gonna... Were you?"

It went smoothly from there. They passed some "modern architecture," as Manny so graciously put it. Sid was launched into the air by a gyser. He had to send a squirrel flying because he almost told the others about his pack, but it was still okay. They had to cross a frozen lake, where Sid eventually ran into a mound of snow. But it got bad when he ran into the humans.

Diego had went ahead, and he saw the humans. He panicked for a second. He couldn't let the others see them! He glanced around, happy and relieved when he saw a cave. Recognizing it, he knew that it opened up near Half Peak. A shortcut.

He ran back to Manny. "Great news! I found a shortcut."

"What do you mean, shortcut?"

"I mean faster than the long way around."

Pinky pulled down on Manny's eyelid. "Ow! I know what a shortcut is."

"Either we beat the humans to Glacier Pass, or we take the long way and miss 'em!"

Manny looked doubtful. "Through there? What do you take me for?"

Diego decided to try again. "This time tomorrow, you could be a free mammoth." He paused. "Or nanny. Personally, I never get tired of peek-a-boo."

Sid came up, acting dumb. He had it to where it looked like an icicle had impailed him through the neck. 'If only,' Diego thought wistfully.

"Sid, the tiger found a shortcut."

"No thanks. I choose life," Sid said, abandoning the icicles and gazing at the cave.

"Then I suggest you take the shortcut," Diego snarled, frustrated. He was getting restless; he wanted Mariana back, and the faster that happened, the faster he could get away from his old pack-mates.

"Are you threatening me?"

He was sick of this.

"Move, Sloth!"

Unfortunately, he caused an avalanche.

"Way to go, tiger."

"Quick! Get inside!"

They all rushed inside. Once the rocks settled and the icicles stopped trembling, Diego breathed a sigh of relief.

"Okay," Manny said, "I vote shortcut."

The whole time Diego lead them through the cave, he was thinking of Mariana. This was her favorite place when she was three, and she even got lost in here one time. "Guys, stick together. It's easy to get lost in here."

While they were going through the cave, they ran along a little mishap. Pinky had fallen down a slide, and they all jumped after him. But it eventually lead to the safe return of Pinky. And Diego loved it.

"Woo-hoo! Yeah! Who's up for round two?"

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~

I felt like this was a good place to end it. I hope you all liked the length! I think I did pretty well with this, don't ya think? Anyway, review!

Stars and Boulevards,

*-KTKK-* ~Kitty~


	4. The Shortcut

_**ATTENTION! READ THE FOLLOWING!**_: Gah! I love you all :) My reviewers are so important to me! That's why _**I'm asking for your help**_: Please, will you all write a small summary of this story in your next review? I don't like the one I have now... It's not ropin in enough people...

Okay! On with the show!

**DISCLAIMER: I own Mariana. I own this Dr. Pepper I'm drinking I _do not_ own the regular characters.**

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

They eventually got out of the icy part of the cave. Diego never thought dirt could feel so good. He really hated snow. It felt cold and it melted into water, which he hated. And snow could have ice underneath it. Dirt had nothing underneath it except more dirt, plain and simple.

"Oh, look! Tigers!"

For a second, Diego thought he had seen the pack. But then he saw the drawings.

The kid started whimpering. "No, it's okay, it's okay. Look, the tigers are just playing tag with the antelope." Pausing, Sid grimaced. "With their teeth."

Diego smirked. "Come on, Sid." He circled around the sloth. "Let's play tag. You're it."

Sid gulped, but quickly recovered after Diego had put space between the two.

"Sure. Okay, okay, okay. Where are the sloths? You never see any sloths. Have you ever noticed?" Noticing a painting, Sid shouted, "Look Manny! A mammoth!"

"Somebody pinch me."

"Hey hey, this fat one looks just like you! And he's got a family!" By that, Diego and Manny had made their way over to him. "And he's happy!" Diego could see the sadness in Manny's eyes. "Look, he's playing with his kid. That's your problem. That's what mammoths are supposed to do."

"Sid..." Diego warned.

"Find a shemmoth, have baby mammoths..."

"Sid." This time, it was firmer.

"What?"

"Shut up."

"But..." And then, Sid seemed to realize the distant look in Manny's eyes, the pain.

It was then that Diego realized that he and Manny had both lost their families, and at the hands of the humans, too. It was weird that he felt no hatred toward them. As Manny ran his trunk across the picture, Diego couldn't help but feel lucky. He had Mariana, but Manny had no one except an idiot sloth annoying him, a burden in the form of a baby, and a tiger leading him to his doom. He had never felt worried, guilty, and lucky at the same time.

They left the cave in a comfortable silence after that.

"Would you look at that? The tiger actually did it. There's Half Peak. Next stop, Glacier Pass," Manny said, as they gazed at the mountain.

'You mean next stop, the pack's claws,' Diego thought guiltily.

"How could I ever have doubted you?" Sid asked. He then turned his attention to Pinky. "Did you hear that, little fella? You're almost home!"

He paused. Something didn't feel right. Looking down, he saw that the ground had a red sheen to it. "My feet are sweating."

"Do we need a news flash every time your body does something?" Diego snapped. He felt bad. He didn't need that agrivation.

"Ignore him. He's just doing it for attention."

"Seriously. My feet are really hot!"

They all stopped when a rumble ripped through the air. Diego's ears perked up.

"Please tell me that was your stomach."

"Shhh!"

"Maybe it was thunder from under... ground?"

Suddenly, lava shot through the ice. They all screamed and ran. The ice fell, creating a narrow and thin bridge. Lava erupted in front of him, separating him from the others.

"Keep up with me!" Sid shouted as he ran, though the ice prevented him from going anywhere.

"I would if you were moving!"

Diego took the chance and jumped. He soared through the air, skidding to a halt safely behind Manny.

"I wish I could jump like that."

"Wish granted!"

After Manny had kicked Sid, he had barely moved.

"Come one, move faster!"

"Have you noticed the river of lava?"

Manny's eyes narrowed as he saw the thin ice in front of him. The heat was rapidly melting the ice. If he walked on it, it would surely break with him and the kid. Looking down at the terrified Pinky, he couldn't let that happen. He jumped, and barely got his back feet on the stable ice as the weak ice behind him broke.

Diego pawed the ground. If he wanted to make it, he'd have to risk it. He had never jumped that far before. He braced himself, then pounced. He latched onto the ice with his front paws, his back ones dangling uselessly.

Manny looked back and saw this.

"Hold Pinky!" Not waiting for an answer, he shoved the kid in Sid's claws and rushed back to help his fallen comrade.

He inched his way to Diego, stretching his trunk out. Noticing the rapidly melting ice, he kept his distance. His trunk wrapped around Diego's paw a second before the ice broke under the tiger. Diego flinched as steam brushed up against him and latched onto Manny's trunk, claws unconsciously coming out.

Manny's eyes went down to the ice beneath him. It was melting and breaking. Connecting eyes with Diego, he saw a rush of emotion in his lime green eyes. Worry, guilt, regret, shame, panic, and pleading. He couldn't let this tiger die. He wasted no time in throwing the cat over his shoulder just as the ice broke beneath him.

Diego grunted quietly as he landed. His head snapped up when Sid shouted, "Manny!"

He saw Manny fall with a trumpet. A few seconds later, Manny flew through the air with another trumpet. He fell to the ground, landing with a thud.

Sid rushed forward. "Manny! Manny! Manny!"

"You'restandingonmytrunk," Manny muttered, his eyes half-lidded.

"What? What? I can't hear you."

"You're standing on my trunk."

Sid jumped off. "You're okay! You're okay!"

"Why did you do that?" Diego asked, lying in the same spot out of shock. "You could have died trying to save me."

The answer shocked him even more. "That's what you do in a herd. You look out for each other."

The guilt made tears come to his eyes.

"Well, thanks."

"I don't know about you guys, but we are the weirdest herd I've ever met."

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"I can't wait to get my claws in that mammoth," Zeke said, twitching.

Mariana glanced at him, confused, but she kept her mouth shut. Touching the scratch on her face, she remembered not to ask these sabers questions. Lenny was the only one she could ask, and he told her to ask when they were alone, and he wasn't the brightest flower in the field.

"No one touches the mammoth until I get that baby," Soto glared. Mariana shrunk, even though the glare wasn't directed at her. What baby?

Zeke acted as though he didn't hear him. "First, I'll slice its hindquarters into sections. I'll put the white meat in one pile and...-"

"Knock it off," Lenny ordered. "I'm starving."

"Next, the shoulders," he said, ignoring the other saber. "Occasionally tough, but extremely juicy."

"I told you to knock it off!" Lenny shouted, going to scratch Zeke. Mariana flinched. If it was one thing she learned from this group, it was that they were extremely violent. Even Lenny, no matter how nice he was to her.

"Save your energy," Soto ordered. "Mammoths don't go down easy. There's only one way to do it." He started to back Lenny into the wall. "First, you have to force it into a corner." The others joined him after Lenny bumped into the wall. "Cut off its retreat. And when you three have it trapped, I'll go for the throat."

Lenny gulped and grabbed his throat.

Mariana whimpered at the images put into her head.

"Shut it, kid," Oscar ordered. She complied, not wanting to get hit again.

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Diego lead them through an ice storm, braving the harsh wind. From behind him, he heard Manny shout, "Guys, we gotta get this kid outta the wind!"

He saw a cave-like opening ahead that would shield them from the hellish winds. He lead them to it. He couldn't get Manny's words from earlier out of his mind. Did he really think that they were all a herd? He was considered family?

'Thanks, Manny,' Diego thought bitterly. 'That makes me feel less guilty.'

"How much further?"

Diego glanced at Manny, then at Half Peak. "Three miles."

"I'm beat," Sid yawned. "We'll get there in the morning." He grabbed a rock and started scribbling on the rock.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm putting sloths on the map!"

Diego snorted.

"Why don't you make it realistic and draw him lying down?" Manny asked with a smile.

Diego decided to play, too. "And make him rounder."

Manny grabbed the rock from Sid and drew a large stomach on the sloth. "Perfect."

"I forgot how to laugh," Sid said sarcastically. He scratched the picture out, only to have sparks fly onto a pile of sticks and leaves and make a fire. "I'm a genius!" he shouted, kissing the rock.

"From now on, you'll have to refer to me as Sid, Lord of the Flame!" Sid boasted.

"Hey, Lord of the Flame... your tail's on fire," Manny informed.

Sid panicked and started running around. Diego sat up and pulled Sid into a mound of snow, putting out the fire. "Thank you. From now on, I'm gonna call you Diego-"

"Lord of Touch Me and You're Dead." After a pause, Diego smiled. "I'm just kiddin', you little knucklehead," he said, pulling Sid into a nuggie.

"Hey Lovebirds!" Diego's head snapped up at the voice of Manny. "Look at this."

Pinky was standing up, stumbling to walk. 'His first steps...' Diego thought, remembering Mariana's.

"I don't believe it."

Sid smiled. "Come here, you little biped. Come here, you little wormy-worm. Come to Uncle Sid."

Diego's eyes widened when Pinky changed his course toward him. "No, no, no, no, no, no. This way. This way," he said, pointing to Sid. "No, no, no. No, go to him. Go to him."

Pinky stumbled onto Diego's paws. He looked up at the tiger and giggled. He had the same brown, innocent eyes his daughter had. Diego cleared his throat. "Uh, good job. Keep practicin." He nudged him back over toward Manny.

"Look at that," Sid said as he sat by Diego on a piece of bark. "Our little guy is growing up."

"Alright, come on. Sleep time, lumpy," they heard Manny say as he grabbed Pinky with his trunk.

"Look at that, big pushover," Sid said, glancing at the tiger. "You know, Diego, I've never had a friend who would risk his life for me."

"Yeah, Manny's... he's a good guy." Sid had no idea how much guilt he had just installed in the tiger.

"Yeah, he is... Well, good night!" Sid turned over, falling asleep instantly.

Diego looked at Half Peak, guilt shining in his glowing eyes. These animals and that human didn't deserve the fate Diego was leading them toward. But he was doing this for his daughter. He had to do this, to save her! He had to! Determination and guilt in his heart, he fell into a restless sleep.

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Once again, _**LEAVE YOUR SUMMARIES! BEST ONE GETS TO BE USED!**_

Stars and Boulevards,

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_


	5. Ambush!

Thanks to all who reviewed! Thank you all! I wuvs yeeewwwww! :)

And thank you mwang! Your summary won! You get twelve warm chocolate chip cookies! Yay! For all others that participated, y'all get a cookie each :) Thank you!

**DISCLAIMER: I own Mariana :)**

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"Let's get you all cleaned up! What's your daddy gonna say if you go back all stinky?" Sid asked, rubbing the kid's face with his spit. "Let me just clean that up. That looks good. A little bit here..."

Diego rolled his eyes in frustration.

"You clean up nice, little fella! I think he's starting to look like me! Diego, what do you think?"

"I think the pour kid doesn't want your spit all over him," Diego snapped. He was so anxious. He was about to end three lives.

"Maybe he does; you don't know that."

"Yeah, and maybe he'll grow a long skinny neck and call you Mama!"

"What's your problem?" Manny asked.

"Nothing. Let's go. I'm freezing my tail off."

Maybe he shouldn't do this. He should just turn them around right now. But then what about his daughter? They would surely kill Mariana.

But was he that selfish? Could he end these animals' lives just to get his daughter back? But his daughter had a life to live, too.

Then another thought hit him.

Could Manny and Sid help him fight the sabers and save themselves and his daughter? Would they even do it?

"Diego, you frozen back there?"

Diego snapped out of his thinking, realizing he wasn't moving.

He had made his decision.

"Get down!"

"What?"

"Get down and follow me!"

"What's goin' on?" Sid asked.

"At the bottom of Half Peak..." Here it goes... "There's an ambush waiting for you."

"What?"

"What do you mean 'ambush'?" Manny paused, and his expression turned furious. "You set us up!"

"It was my job! I was to get the baby, but then-"

"You brought us home for dinner!"

"That's it!" Sid shouted, pointing a claw at him. "You're out of the herd!"

"I'm sorry! But-!"

"No, you're not!" Manny yelled, pinning him to the wall with his tusks. "Not yet."

"Please, listen! They had my daughter! They were gonna kill her!" At that, Manny's grip slackened a little. "Listen, I can help you."

Manny glared at him. "Stay close, Sid. We can fight our way out."

"You can't," Diego warned. "The pack's too strong. You have to trust me."

"Trust you?" Manny asked. "Why in the world would we trust you?"

"Because I'm your only chance."

Manny hesitantly let him down.

"Now, here's the plan..."

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"Hello, ladies," Diego said casually as he approached the sabers. Mariana smiled and rushed over to him, shouting "Daddy!"

"Listen, I need you to go to the left of here, and walk until you get to a tree with a baby in the hole, okay?" Diego whispered, and she nodded. "A sloth named Sid will be there. Go with him."

"Look who decided to show up," Oscar said.

"Diego," Soto addressed, and they failed to notice Mariana slip away, "I was beginning to worry about you."

"No need to worry," Diego said, biting down a snarl. "In about two minutes you'll be satisfying your taste for revenge."

"Very nice."

"I see the sloth!" Zeke shouted as Diego sat beside him. "And he's got the baby!"

"Don't give away your positions until you see the mammoth. He's the one to surprise," Soto ordered.

"You want to maul something, don't you?" Diego asked smoothly.

"I wanna maul!" shouted a twitching Zeke.

"Then what are you waiting for?"

He suddenly burst forward with a roar, Lenny and Oscar following.

"No, I said wait for the mammoth!" Soto shouted, and Diego shrugged.

"Follow those idiots; I'll look for the mammoth!" Soto shouted as he ran. Diego sighed and followed the tigers. It was great that Soto's orders followed along with the plan.

He made it just as Manny shouted, "Surprise!"

"Okay, follow me," Diego ordered. "We'll pick up Sid and Mariana and get outta here while we can."

From out of nowhere, Soto emerged. "Come on, Diego, let's bring this mammoth down."

Diego glanced at Manny, then stalked toward him...

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"There he is!" Sid shouted as he picked up the baby from the tree. Mariana came out from it.

"Are you Sid?"

"Are you Mariana?"

Mariana's eyes brightened. "Daddy told me you would be here and to go with you. Are we goin to see Daddy?" she asked, a Southern accent showing in her voice a little.

"Yes we are, sweetie," Sid smiled. He looked down at the baby as he covered his eyes. "That's right. Where's the baby?"

He glanced back and screamed as Zeke lunged for them. Luckily, he and Mariana jumped out of the way. Zeke, unfortunately, got stuck in the tree.

"Survival... of the... fittest!" Sid shouted as he stuffed the tiger further in the hole.

"Yeah!" Mariana shouted, blowing a rasberry at him.

Sid just smiled.

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Manny took a step back from the tigers that were advancing toward him. He glared at Diego. 'I knew he couldn't be trusted.'

He was surprised when Diego stepped forward and took a defensive position in front of him.

"What are you doing?" Soto asked.

"Leave... the mammoth... alone," Diego said threateningly.

"Fine," Soto snarled as Oscar and Lenny joined him. "I'll take you down first!"

He lunged. Diego dodged, and they both clawed at each other. Manny defended himself against the other tigers.

Soto got in a good few scratches, but so did Diego. He rammed into Diego's side, sending him sliding and hitting his head against a rock. Soto then turned his attention to Manny.

Manny was now slowly being forced back into a wall. He glanced at Diego. Diego looked up at him through half-lidded, pain-filled eyes. He accidently exposed his throat. Soto lunged.

But Diego was faster.

Diego intercepted Soto, taking the life-threatening hit.

Pinky whimpered.

Mariana screamed.

Sid gulped.

Manny glared.

With his attention on the baby, Soto was unprepared for the blow that sent him flying into the wall. The icicles wiggled dangerously above him, then fell. He was killed. Now leaderless, Oscar and Lenny fled.

They all gathered around Diego.

"Daddy," Mariana whimpered, snuggling up in his chest.

"We did it," Sid said, smiling tearfully.

"We were some team, huh?" Diego asked.

"Were? Come on, we're still a team," Sid said desperately.

"I'm sorry I set you up."

"You know me- I'm too lazy to hold a grudge."

Pinky walked forward falling and pressing the palm of his hand to Diego's nose. "Knock it off, squirt. You gotta take care of Manfred and Sid." He paused and smiled. "Especially Sid."

"Come on, you can lick this! You're a tiger! Look, I'll carry you. Come on, what do you say? Come on, Diego, come on! Tell him he's going to be okay, Manny!"

"Listen, you have to leave me here. If those humans get through the pass, you'll never catch them."

"You didn't have to do that," Manny said quietly, speaking for the first time.

"That's what you do in a herd." Diego smiled. He looked at Mariana and frowned. "Who hurt you, sweetie?"

"Oscar. He said I asked too many questions," she whispered.

"Well, it doesn't look too bad... Wash it really good, okay?"

"Daddy," whimpered Mariana. "Daddy, get up. You can do it for me! Like you used to!"

"Daddy's... Daddy's not gonna get up, Mari," Diego said, his voice full of pain. "Stay with Manny and Sid. They'll take care of you."

"But I want you to take care of me!" she wailed.

"I love you, sweetie."

"I love you too, Daddy," she cried. "But I don't wanna go!"

Diego nodded to Sid, who sighed and picked up the squirming tiger. "No! No, let me go! Daddy! Daddy!" she shouted as they walked away.

Diego laid his head back, exhausted.

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Mariana cried softy on the back of Manny as he gave the kid back. She sighed. First Mommy, then Daddy. She had no one besides these strangers. Well, if Daddy trusted them, she should as well. They didn't look too bad. Manny was a little intimidating, but he was nice, just like Lenny. Sid was silly and stupid, plus he smelled really bad, but she could tell that his heart was in the right place.

Speaking of Sid, he was waving goodbye to the baby.

"Don't forget about us, okay? We won't forget about you! Goodbye! Goodbye! Goodbye!" It was almost desperate, like he was clinging to the one thing that reminded him of Diego.

Manny gently picked Mariana up and placed her in front of him. She looked up at him with her tear-stained face, her brown eyes full of tears and sadness.

"How about you keep up with this for me?" he asked as he removed the neckalace the human had given him from his tusk and put it around her neck. She grabbed the charm, smiling a little. "It brings out your eyes. And you should smile more. You have a pretty smile."

She smiled at him. "Thanks."

Manny smiled back, then turned his attention to Sid. "Sid..." he said, trying to get him to leave the kid. He was with his parent now; they had done their work, it was time to go.

"Bye!" he called, then noticed the baby starting to play peek-a-boo. "That's right. Where's the baby?"

"Come on, Sid, let's head south." He turned, but stopped when he saw something come over the hill. It was Diego. He was limping, and almost looked like he was glowing from the angle of the sun. Manny smiled.

"Bye!"

"Save your breath, Sid. You know humans can't talk."

Sid's eyes widened, and he turned toward the tiger. "Diego? You're okay!"

"Daddy!" Mariana cried, jumping around Manny and running to embrace her father.

"Nine lives, baby," he said, licking Mariana's head.

"You're okay!" Sid kept shouting, running to hug the tiger. "You're okay! I could kiss ya!"

Before he could, Mariana pushed him out of the way. "My Daddy!" Manny and Diego burst out laughing at that.

When Manny's laughter died down, he smiled. "Welcome back, partner. Wanna lift?"

"No thanks. I gotta save whatever dignity I've got left."

"You're hanging out with us now! Dignity's got nothing to do with it' I'll take that lift!" Sid shouted.

"Yeah, climb aboard," Manny said, bending down to let him climb up.

"Pick me up, buddy. Mush! Or not mush. Either way. This is gonna be the best migration ever! I'll show you my favorite watering holes! I turn brown when the fungus in my fur dries."

"Attractive."

"This whole Ice age thing is getting old. You know what I could go for? Global warming!"

"Keep dreamin."

"No, really-"

"Does this sloth ever shut up, Daddy?"

"Rude! I see she takes after her father."

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

And thus, the first part is drawn to a close! _**THIS IS NOT THE END OF THE STORY!**_ Look out for next chapter :) Please review :)

Stars and Boulevards,

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_


	6. Rough Waters, Gentle Waves

Here you go, Starzinmieyez :)

**_WARNING!_: Sadness and shortness of chapter! _You've been warned..._**

**DISCLAIMER: I own this version of Diego's past, Rose, this story, and Mariana. I also own Ice Age, Ice Age 2, and Ice Age 3 _DVD's_. The actual movies themselves? No.**

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Mariana crouched low in the tall grass, growling softly. She crept closer slowly, and her victim was completely oblivious to the danger he was in. She glanced at her father hidden by a large rock. At his nod, she pounced. She growled. The victim screamed.

She held the animal down by the throat, stopping the air flow. The weak prey struggled, but the cub was stronger. Just when her prey was about to pass out, she took off her paw and looked at her dad with glimmering brown eyes. He was grinning proudly.

"How'd I do?" she asked.

"Great, Mari!" He shouted. "I think Sid doesn't count as prey, but he'll do."

"And you didn't _tell_ me about this?" Sid gasped, rubbing his throat.

"Then it would have ruined my element of surprise!" Mariana giggled.

"Ah, c'mon Sid," Diego said, helping him up. "She's just a kid, and she needs to learn how to hunt."

"Then find another animal!" he shouted, nervously glancing at the saber cub. She was energetically jumping after a butterfly a little ways away.

"Can you please just do this for me?" Diego asked lowly, glancing at Mariana to make sure she wasn't listening. "She really enjoys hunting and at her age, it would be more dangerous on a real hunt than a staged one."

Sid squinted at him, then sighed. "Fine. But just as long as I don't get hurt."

Diego faked a smile and nodded, which Sid bought. He hastily went back to Manny, who was getting himself some lunch. After Sid was gone, he dropped the smile and smirked, saying under his breath, "But then it wouldn't be a real hunt."

Mariana soon joined her father, claiming that "butterflies are too cute to hunt." They made their way back to Manny, who had gotten back on the trail they were supposed to be traveling on.

"In a few days, we'll reach this valley I think would be a nice place to stay in," Manny said, looking straight ahead. He glanced back at Mariana, smiling slightly.

Mariana was quickly growing on the herd members. She was down right adorable. She loved them all dearly, mostly sticking by him or Diego (he couldn't blame her). She loved her new necklace, and she had never taken it off. She ran ahead of them, with Diego shouting for her to keep close.

Diego. Diego was different from his earlier days with them. Manny guessed that he was just worried about his daughter the whole time, and that made him crabby. He was actually pretty nice- until Sid came in, but still nice.

The two sabers had grown on him.

Sid? ... Not so much. He was annoying, smelly, and blunt (making him seem rude). He was always talking. But he could tell that it was just to fill the space up full of silence. Mariana did that too, but when Sid did it, it was just annoying. All-in-all, Sid was annoying. Period.

They settled down for the night in a cave. Manny was near the wall furthest away from the entrance, but still close enough to the fire. Sid was next to it, prodding it with a stick, oddly silent. Diego was laying by the entrance, with Mariana curled up by his belly.

He didn't know why, but he started talking. "So, we barely know anything about each other."

They all lazily looked up at him. Mariana smiled, jumping up and skipping around the cave. "Yep, Sid," she tagged him, "you're it!"

Sid gulped, casting a glance at a smirking Diego. "Uh, what do I say?"

"Where did you come from?" Mariana asked.

"Well, when a daddy sloth and a mommy sloth love each other very much-"

"That's enough, Sid!" Diego barked, grabbing Mariana and holding her ears.

"Alright, I think we know enough about Sid," Manny said. "What about you, Diego?"

Diego stopped snarling at Sid, clearing his throat. "Uh, well, I had a regular saber mother and father," he said awkwardly. "I grew up, met a nice girl, started a family." This is where his eyes got misty. "The humans attacked. I got Mariana out of there, but Rose..."

_Flashback_

_Diego swatted a spear, growling viciously. Mariana cowered underneath him. Once a path was cleared, he grabbed the scruff of her neck, looking around furiously for his mate. He ran to a nearby hill, eyes darting for her. He found Soto, taking on many humans at once, but that was it. No other sabers. He looked to the side, seeing three sabers fleeing._

_Diego's heart beat painfully in his chest. Finally, Soto realized he was outnumbered, and he too managed to shake them off to retreat. There were three adult saber bodies on the ground with two cubs. He recognized one as Soto's mate; the two males were Oscar's brothers; and the two cubs were Soto's children. He bowed his head in sadness. Wait... There were four adult sabers..._

_An anguished cry came from Mariana as they both saw a human raise the dead face of Rose, his mate._

_He quickly got Mariana away from there. When they were a little ways away, he dropped her. The young cub had tears rolling down her face. Diego pulled her closer, smiling shakily._

_"C'mon. Mommy wouldn't want you crying," he said, but he still had a hard time comforting his heartbroken cub._

_Flashback End_

"Took her years to get over it," he said, glancing at Mariana. She had quieted down, but she cast a small smile at Manny. "It's okay, though. She's up in the sky with the other sabers!"

Manny smiled. "You're doing a great job, Diego."

"Thanks."

"Hey, Manny!" Sid shouted. "Mammoth's usually don't travel alone! Where's your herd?"

Manny sighed. He might as well tell them now, as apposed to later.

Diego glared at Sid. He had realized that the picture in the cave was about Manny and his family, or close to it anyway, but (as usual) Sid was insensitive and stupid. He was surprised when Manny started talking.

"Well, it all started when Junior started playing..."

_Flashback_

_Manny smiled at his son, who was hopping around, smiling happily. A trunk locked with his, and he smiled at his mate. She was very beautiful, with shining blue eyes and soft brown fur. They nuzzled lovingly, not noticing Junior starting to wander off..._

_"Mommy! Daddy! Help!" Junior shouted, running back to them. Humans were hot on his trail._

_Manny stepped in front of Leena, his wife, and Junior. "Get him out of here!" he shouted, hearing her retreat._

_Humans were all around him. He swiped one away, only to have it replaced by another one. He yanked some spears away, and finally started to fight. He grabbed a human, throwing it into another one. One stabbed him. He hissed in pain, but while the human was near his foot he kicked him._

_Suddenly, a cry rang through the air. Looking back, he saw his mate and child pressed against the wall, surrounded by humans. His eyes caught a large rock, pushed off by the humans. Manny screamed for them to run, but it was too late. His anguished trumpet was seemingly unheard by the humans._

_Flashback End_

"I just traveled after that," he finished, avoiding their sympathetic glances. Mariana nuzzled his leg, smiling up at him.

"No need to be sad!" she giggled. "They're safe in the sky!"

He pet her smiling at her. "Yeah."

Mariana went back and laid with her father. He and Manny both closed their eyes to sleep, ignoring Sid when he shouted, "Hey! What about my story?"

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Ever wonder how in the second movie they knew about his family? Well, I did. And thus, this chapter was born! :)

I know it's short, but I warned you!

Leave your reviews behind as you leave please. The author will pick them up and read them. Thank you.

Stars and Boulevards,

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_


	7. The Flood Is Coming!

Yes, another update in the same day :) Be happy!

**DISCLAIMER: I only own Mariana. Please don't use her without my permission. Thank you.**

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"Hiya, Uncle Manny!" Mariana greeted as she nuzzled his leg. They were now at the valley, and it was turning out to be a wonderful place to live.

"Hey, Mari," Manny smiled, petting her with his trunk. Mariana was now nine, a year older than she was when she was kidnapped. She was starting to get a sarcastic side, but who wouldn't with Diego and Manny around? She was still sweet as caramel, though. Her appearance hadn't changed much; she was still a little cub, though she was slightly taller. She had grown bangs, and they threatened to cover her left eye.

"Daddy wants you," she said. "Something about 'evil children wanting to kill Sid.'"

Manny sighed. "Alright, let's go save Sid... again."

Mariana giggled and ran around Manny as they made their way to meet the tiger.

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"What's happening this time?" Manny asked as they walked up to Diego. Mariana sat by him.

"Well, they just beat him with a stick, so I'd guess that the next step is trying to cut off his foot again."

"Nuh uh!" Mariana shouted. "They're gonna try and bury him again."

"Well, let's go find out, shall we?" Manny asked.

They all walked over to where Sid was, and they heard, "Let's bury him!" "Yeah!"

Mariana shot a glance at her father, who rolled his eyes.

"Hey, woah. Who said you kids could torture the sloth?" Manny asked.

"Manny, don't squash their creativity." Mariana giggled at her father's response.

"Hey! Manny, Diego, Mariana, my bad mammal-jammals!" Sid smiled, only his head visible. "Wanna give a sloth a hand?"

Manny rolled his eyes. He grabbed Sid's neck with his trunk and pulled Sid out of the ground.

"Look, I opened my camp! 'Campo del Sid'. It means Camp of Sid."

"We know Spanish, Sid," Mariana giggled.

"Congratulations. You're now an idiot in two languages," Diego said.

"Not in front of the k-i-d-z!" Sid scolded. "These little guys love me! Right, Billy?"

"Don't make me eat you!"

Sid laughed nervously. "They kid. That's why they're called kids."

"I told you, Sid. You're not qualified to run a camp," Manny said, glaring at the sloth.

"What do qualifications have to do with childcare? Besides, these kids look up to me! I'm a role model to them."

Two kids tripped Sid, earning laughs from all children present, including Mariana.

"I can see that."

"You guys never think I can do anything, but I'm an equal member of this herd! I made this herd, so you need to start treating me with some respect!"

"Uncle Sid!" Mariana pouted as he hopped away, still tied up.

"Come on, Sid!"

"Sid, we were just kidding!"

"Hey!" a kid shouted, earning their attention. "Let's play pin-the-tail-on-the-mammoth!"

"Yeah!"

Mariana grinned. Manny and Diego looked at each other then shouted together, "SID!"

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"And so, in the end, the little burro reached his mommy. And they lived happily ever after," Manny concluded. To settle the children down, he decided to tell them a story.

"Good job," Diego praised, picking up a yawning Mariana. She snuggled in the warmth of her father, not wanting to wake up from her nap just yet.

"Question," one kid informed. "Why does the burro go home? Why doesn't he stay with the rabbits?"

"Because... because he wanted to be with his family," Manny said.

"He should go with the girl burro," another child said. "That's a better love story."

"Okay, well, when you tell your burro story, that's what he'll do."

"Burro is a demeaning name," a girl said. "Technically, it's called a wild ass."

"Fine. The wild ass boy came home to his wild ass mother." When they burst into laughter, Manny said, "See, that's why I called it a burro!"

Then they all started talking at once.

"Could the burro have a grazing problem? Then he'd be more relatable."

"Boring."

"It's not believable."

"Do burros eat their young?"

"It's not a good ending."

"Sometimes I throw up!"

Making a face, Manny snapped, "They lived happily ever after! You can't get more satisfying than that! One big, happy family! That's the way it's supposed to be!"

"Then where's your big, happy family?" a bird asked.

Manny's face fell. Mariana jumped off the rock, nuzzling Manny's leg. She tried to cheer him up. "We're your family, Uncle Manny."

"Then the hungry tiger ate the pesky little kids!" Diego roared, pouncing off of the rock. The kids scattered, screaming.

"Are you okay, Uncle Manny?" Mariana asked.

"Sure. Why not?" Manny snapped.

Her ears lowered at his harsh tone. "I just thought...-"

"Story time's over. The end."

Manny instantly regretted saying that when Mariana got tears in her eyes. Before he could apologize, two kids ran by screaming. "Run for your lives!"

"Where's everybody going?" Manny asked.

"The world's coming to an end!"

"What are you talking about?" Diego asked.

"Fast Tony- he says the world's gonna flood!"

"That idiot?" Mariana asked.

"Folks, I hold in my hand a device so powerful, it can actually pull air right out of the sky!" Fast Tony shouted.

"Yeah, right," a passer-by said sarcastically.

"Gather round, gather round! Pardon me, do you have gills, ma'am?" he asked an animal that clearly didn't have gills. She shook her head.

"So you can't breathe underwater?"

Again, she shook her head.

"My assistant here will demonstrate!" He shoved a reed into the turtle's nose.

"Hey, I can smell the ocean!"

"What are you doing? I can't sell that now!" He took it and put it in the turtle's mouth. "You suck air through your mouth, you moron!

"Through its design and sturdy construction," he continued, "you'll have plenty of air for eons to come!"

When his assistant started having trouble breathing, he chuckled nervously. "Of course, results may vary."

The three approached him. "Why are you scaring everybody with this doomsday stuff?" Manny asked.

"I'm trying to make a living here, pal," Fast Tony replied.

"But you don't need to spread lies," Mariana said.

"Listen kid," Tony said slowly. "Grown ups can do whatever we want."

Mariana snarled. She hated it when people added age into the conversation and thought she couldn't comprehend anything. "So can kids. Hey Dad? What do armadillos taste like?"

Tony backed away from the glaring cub, glancing at the proud Diego and laughing nervously. "Cute kid." Clearing his throat, he smiled and looked at the crowd. "It's my weather forecast! The five-day outlook calls for intense flooding, followed by the end of the world." He paused. "And a slight chance of patchy sunshine later in the week."

"He should be a weather man," Mariana said sarcastically, rolling her eyes. She earned a laugh out of everyone in earshot.

"Come on, don't listen to him," Manny ordered. "Fast Tony would sell his own mother for a grape."

"Are you making an offer?" Glancing at the crowd, he pretended to be insulted. "I mean, no, I would not!"

"Haven't you heard? The ice is melting."

"You see this ground?" Manny asked rhetorically. "It's covered in ice. A thousand years ago, it was covered in ice. A thousand years from now, it will still be ice."

"Say, buddy, not to cast aspersions on your survival instincts or nothing," said an animal, "but haven't mammoths pretty much gone extinct?"

"What are you talking about?"

"About you being the last of your kind."

"Ah... Your breath smells like ants."

The anteater smelled his breath, flinching. "Be that as it may, when's the last time you saw another mammoth?"

"Don't pay any attention to him," Diego said.

"Yeah, he doesn't know what he's talking about!" Mariana shouted and stuck her tongue out at the anteater.

"Mammoths can't go extinct," Manny reasoned. "They're the biggest things on Earth."

"What about the dinosaurs?" another animal asked.

"The dinosaurs got cocky and made enemies."

"Look!" someone shouted, pointing at a large waterfall. "Some idiot's going down the Eviscerator!"

"Please tell me that's not our idiot," Manny pleaded. No luck.

"Okay, I'm gonna jump on the count of three! One...! Two...!"

"Sid, don't move a muscle! We're coming up!" Manny shouted.

"Jump! Jump! Jump!" the crowd cheered.

"Jump! Jump! Jump!" Diego joined in.

At the glares Manny and Mariana sent him, he stopped. "Sorry."

"Two and three one-thousandths, two and four one-thousandths..." Sid said, trying to work up the nerve to take the leap.

"Sid, what are you doing?" Mariana cried, her and the other two now at the top. "Get down from there!"

"No! I'm gonna be the first to jump off the Eviscerator, and then you guys are gonna have to show me some respect!"

"The only respect you'll get is respect for the dead!" Manny shouted.

"Come on, Manny, he's not that stupid," Diego stated, completely calm. But when Sid started to jump, his calm exterior faultered. "But I've been wrong before."

"Geronimo!" Sid shouted just as Manny yanked him out of the air. He was caught on an icy slope, and he fell to his knees, starting to slide backward.

"Hey, watch it!" Diego shouted before he and Mariana were bumped out onto some thin ice. Diego shakily got up, but froze when he heard ice cracking. Looking down, he saw the ice beneath his paws breaking. "Run!" he shouted to Mariana, and they both jumped to safety. Mariana jumped in Sid's arms while Diego clutched Manny's trunk, both panting from fear.

"Diego, retract the claws, please," Manny said, patting Diego's back with the rest of his trunk.

Diego cleared his throat. "Uh, right. Sorry." Getting off, he approached Sid and Mariana. "You okay, Mari?"

"Fine," she admitted, glancing back at the water uneasily.

"If I didn't know you better, Diego," Sid said as he set Mariana down, "I'd think you were afraid of the water." After Diego's paw closed around his throat, Sid struggled out, "Okay, okay. Good thing I know you better."

"Guys." They all walked toward Manny, who was looking out at a large body of water. "Fast Tony was right... Everything's melting. It's all gonna flood. Come on, we gotta warn them."

"Maybe we can rapidly evolve into water creatures!" Sid shouted.

"That's genius, Sid," Diego said blankly.

"Call me Squid!"

"Call me Squid," Mariana teased, rollling her eyes.

"This whole thing's a piece of junk," Sid said as they walked over a small bridge across the Eviscerator, stomping on it. "I can't believe I live here." It suddenly shook uneasily. Diego and Mariana's ears both perked, and they all looked back at Sid.

"What?"

It suddenly broke. They all flew down the water, screaming, before finally skidding to a stop by Fast Tony.

Fast Tony jumped from surprise and stopped talking about whatever his latest scheme was.

"See? This is exactly what I'm talking about!" he shouted. "Giants balls of furry lava the size of mammoths raining from the sky!"

"Go suck air through a reed."

Mariana giggled.

"Listen to him," Manny said, standing up. "He's right about the flood."

"I am?" Fast Tony asked, then stood up straighter and smiled. "I mean, yes, I am."

"Wait," an animal said. "You said there wasn't going to be a flood. Why should we listen to you?"

"Because we saw what's up there. The dam's gonna break!" He paused, looking at their reactions. "The entire valley's gonna flood."

"Flood's real, alright," a vulture said suddenly from a branch, earning everyone's attention. "And it's coming fast. Look around. You're in a bowl. Bowl's gonna fill up. Ain't no way out."

"What are we gonna do?" an animal asked him.

"Unless you make it to the end of the valley. There's a boat. It can save you."

"I don't see anything!"

"But y'all better hurry," he continued. "Ground's melting, walls tumbling, rocks crumbling. Survive that and you'll be racing the water, cause in three days' time, it's gonna hit the geyser fields.

"Boom!" They all jumped.

"There is some good news, though."

All the animals smiled, waiting go hear the news.

"The more of you die, the better I eat."

All the animals backed away from him. Sid hid behind Manny, and Mariana crouched under Diego, her ears pinning back.

"I didn't say it was good news for you." he said and flew away.

"He must have been a real pleasure to have in class," Sid said as he came out from behind Manny. Mariana stayed under Diego, still disturbed by the words of the vulture.

Suddenly, a large piece of ice fell down from the top of the dam. It tumbled through the air, and once it got close to the ground, it threatened to crush a young beaver. His father got him in time. They all stared up at the dam with wide eyes.

"_Dam_."

"Alright, you heard the scary vulture!" Manny called. "Let's move out!"

"Manny, you really think there's a boat?" Diego asked as Mariana and Sid walked ahead. He really doubted it; he was taught _not_ to listen to random vultures threatening to eat him.

"I don't know, but in a few days, this place is gonna be underwater," Manny replied, looking at the deserted pools of water. "If there's any hope, it's that way."

Diego nodded, walking ahead. Manny turned to go, but paused. He could have swore he just saw a flash of unnatural purple. He squinted, trying to see it, but Diego called him away before he could see what was in the ice.

"Manny, let's go!"

Manny turned away, still suspicious.

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

Anyone else liking the lengths of these? Cause I am :) I hope you all are satisfied!

Stars and Boulevards,

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_


	8. The Last Mammoth?

Sorry for the delay! School started last week :P Bleh. But at least my teachers are awesome! My Health teacher mentions sex every two seconds XD The teenager in me is _very_ happy :) At least that class is amusing...

Anyway, enjoi! :)

**DISCLAIMER: I own Ice Age! *is immediately surrounded by lawyers and cops* I was kidding! I was kidding! But I own Mariana.**

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

"Please?"

"No!"

"C'mon, kid, there isn't another one like it!"

"Too bad!"

"Is there a problem here?" Diego asked, glaring at Fast Tony, who was bothering Mariana.

"Not at all! It's just, well, she won't let me have her necklace!" he cried.

"Uh, I agree with her," Diego said. "Keep the necklace, Mari."

"Hey! No! Do you know how much I could get for that!" he shouted as they walked away.

"Doesn't matter, it's mine!" Mariana shouted.

He caught up with them. "Please! Is there another offer? I'll double it!" He reached out to touch the necklace, but Diego got in front of Mariana.

"If you touch her, you'll need a reed to breathe with," he snarled.

Fast Tony gulped, backing away slowly. "Heh, I didn't really want it any-" He cut off his own sentence, turning and running away.

Mariana smiled at Diego. "Thank you, Daddy." She and Diego then caught up with Manny and Sid.

"Manny, I just heard you're going extinct!" was the first thing they heard.

"Hey, if you ever master hygiene, try working on sensitivity," Diego said sarcastically, making a face at the sticky berry juice all over the sloth.

"Meanie," Mariana said, and she stuck her tongue out at him.

"I'm not going extinct!"

Unfortunately, an animal and his children decided to choose then to walk past them. "Kids, look. The last mammoth. Well, you probably won't see another one of those again."

"See?" Sid smiled stupidly.

As they traveled, Sid decided to start singing about Manny's species going extinct. Diego and Mariana both pinned their ears to their heads. Manny glared at the singing sloth. "Shut up, Sid!"

"Okay."

_~Later~_

"Stop singing, Sid."

_~Next Day~_

"Sid, I'm going to fall on you again and this time I will kill you."

"Okay, someone doesn't like the classics!"

_~Later~_

Manny slowed to a stop, glancing around. He sighed sadly. He was starting to believe what everyone had been telling him. It didn't help that he hadn't seen a mammoth in their travels...

"What if you're right?" Manny asked as he looked at his reflection in an icicle. "What if I am the last mammoth?"

"Don't listen to him, Uncle Manny," Mariana smiled. "Uncle Sid's never right."

"Hey! Rude..." Turning his attention to Manny, Sid smiled. "But Manny, look at the bright side! You have us!"

"Not your most persuasive argument, Sid," Diego said.

"Well, you have me, Uncle Manny!" Mariana smiled.

Manny smiled and pet her with his trunk. "Yeah, I do." Suddenly, they all froze as a trumpet-like sound split through the air.

"Mammoths?" Diego asked, confused but excited.

"I knew I couldn't be the last one!" Manny shouted as he started running, accidentally picking up Sid. "I felt it in my gut!"

Diego grabbed Mariana in his mouth, running to catch up with the speeding mammoth. It was tough at first since Manny had a head start, but Diego was soon at an easy pace.

"He's up by a couple of fifths, ahead by a tusk!" Sid shouted rapidly as he rode on Manny's back. "And he's beating Diego as Diego's coming round the corner!"

Manny ran through some bushes, and Diego jumped over them, both skidding to a sudden stop. Diego sat Mariana down, but Sid was ungracefully launched into the air, sliding to a stop by a log. He saw a dandelion, but just as he was going to eat it, a foul-smelling gust of wind flew out from the log.

"Sorry," an animal apologized from his perch on the log. "My stomach hates me."

"Well, don't that put the 'stink' in extinction?" Sid asked, walking back to the group with his nose plugged. "Nasty."

"Manny..." Diego trailed off, literally feeling the disappointment from the mammoth.

"I need to be alone for a while."

"Can I come with?" Mariana asked.

Manny was just about to turn her down, but made the mistake of looking into her eyes. She was tilting her head, exposing the necklace he gave her, her eyes big and pleading, her bottom lip sticking out. He sighed. "You go on ahead. We'll catch up."

Mariana smiled, trotting beside him. They made their way to a lake, and Manny was looking at his reflection.

"I guess it's just me now," he said, smiling sadly at Mariana.

"Nuh uh! You always have me, Uncle Manny. I'll convert to a mammoth, just for you!" she said sweetly, purring when he pet her head.

"I hereby pronounce you an honorary mammoth!" he shouted.

Mariana giggled. "Can I be half saber, half mammoth?"

"Yeah. Thanks kiddo. Let's head back before your father has a heart attack." They turned around and started walking, but screamed when a mammoth fell out of a tree. The mammoth screamed, too. After Manny regained his senses, he smiled.

"I knew it! I knew I wasn't the only one!"

"I know!" she shouted. "Everyone falls out of the tree now and then. They just don't admit it."

"Huh?"

"Wait. What?"

"Some of us have a tough time holding on to branches." Manny and Mariana both looked up, seeing the broken branch the shemmoth had fallen out of. "It's not like we're bats or something. We don't have wings to keep us up!"

"And you were in the tree because...?" Manny asked.

"I was looking for my brothers! They're always in trouble." When they looked back, she was climbing up another tree.

"Brothers?" Mariana asked.

"You mean there's more?" Manny asked, excitement clear in his voice.

"Sure. There's lots of us!"

"Where?"

"Uh, everywhere?" she said like it was common knowledge. "Under rocks. In holes in the ground. Usually we come out at night so birds don't carry us off."

Mariana and Manny looked at her like she was crazy.

"Help! Help!"

"Help!"

Two cries for help averted their attention to the right. Two possums were running over a hill chased by... Diego? And Sid?

"Dad?" Mariana asked as he walked over to them, grumbling.

Diego smiled, "Heh, uh just havin some fun, Mari."

"Well, shave me down and call me a mole rat!" Sid shouted. He and Diego both gazed at the shemmoth, shocked. "You found another mammoth!"

"Where?" She looked around, but then paused. "Wait a minute, I thought mammoths were extinct?" When the four looked at her, she asked, "What are you looking at me for?"

"I don't know. Maybe because you're a mammoth?" Manny offered.

"Me? Don't be ridiculous. I'm not a mammoth. I'm a possum!" She smiled.

"Right. Good one. I'm a newt," Manny pointed at himself. "This is my brother, the badger." He pointed at Diego. "My niece, the bunny." He pointed at Mariana, who smiled and waved. "And my friend, the platypus." He pointed at Sid, who frowned.

"Why do I gotta be the platypus? Make her the platypus!" he said, pointing at Mariana.

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm too pretty to be a platypus."

"This guy giving you trouble, sis?" Crash asked. **(A/N: I'm guessing here on the twins.)**

"Sis?" they all asked.

"That's right. These are my brothers. Possum, possum, possum!" she said, pointing at both possums then herself.

"I don't think her tree goes all the way to the top branch," Manny whispered to Diego and Mariana.

"I think it does, it's just... a little weathered," Mariana smiled.

"Manny, brink of extinction's a bad time to be picky," Sid said. He then smiled. "Hey, she should come with us!"

"Are you insane? No way!" Manny cried.

"Okay." Sid smiled, then winked at Mariana.

Mariana smiled and walked toward Ellie. "Manny wants me to ask you if you'd like to escape the flood with us."

"I'd rather be road kill!" Crash shouted, getting up in Mariana's face. The girl saber pouted.

Diego got in-between his daughter and the possum. "_That_ can be arranged," he snarled.

"Funny," the shemmoth said, grabbing Crash. "Let me have a little word with my brothers."

"Why did you invite them?" Manny asked her.

She pointed at Sid. "He told me to!"

Before Sid could defend himself, Manny hit him on the back of the head. "Why did you do that?"

"Cause you might be the only two mammoths left on Earth!"

"He has a point," Diego joined in.

"Sorry, when did I join this dating service?" he asked.

"My brothers and I would be delighted to come with you," Ellie interupted him.

"If you treat us nicely," Eddie snapped, looking at Diego, who snarled.

"See that? That's the total opposite of nice!"

"Maybe we'll have a snack before we hit the road," Diego growled.

"You want a piece of us? Let's go!"

"Banzai!"

Diego messed with Crash, and when Sid tried to come in, he was fended off by Eddie, who was snapping his tail like a whip. Mariana was laughing hysterically the whole time.

"You know the best part? We're carrying diseases!" Crash shouted, holding open Diego's jaws.

They suddenly froze as a rumbling sound met their ears. They heard as another piece of the dam fell. Diego spat Crash out, a look of disgust on his face.

"Okay, thanks to Sid, we're now traveling together," Manny announced, earning everyone's attention. "And like it or not, we're going to be one big, happy family. I'll be the daddy, Ellie will be the mommy." Pausing, he pointed at Diego. "Diego will be the uncle who eats the kids who get on my nerves." Diego snarled at Crash and Eddie. "And Mariana will be the cute child that never does anything wrong." Mariana smiled.

"Now, let's move it before the ground falls out from under our feet!"

"I thought fat guys were supposed to be jolly," Ellie murmured to her brothers.

"I'm not fat! It's this fur, it makes me look big. It's poofy!"

"Okay." Waiting until he was out of hearing range, she muttered, "He's fat."

"Daddy, can you carry me?" Mariana asked. "My paws hurt."

He smiled. "Sure." He grabbed her by the scruff of her neck, walking along with the mammoths and Sid.

"That's a good idea, Mariana!" Sid shouted. He poked Manny. "Can I have a ride?"

"No."

"But-!"

"No, Sid!"

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_

So who loves Mariana? *everyone raises their hands* Who thinks she's adorable *everyone raises their hands* Great! That's what I was going for :)

So? Like it? Hate it? Review and tell me! It's what keeps me going!

***-KTKK-*** _~Kitty~_


	9. On Thin Ice

Wow. Three weeks. I am **_SO_** sorry for the long wait! Me and my family have been to the hospital lately. Nuff said.

So **there will be no pairing with Mariana**. They'll just be close like siblings. She needs big brothers! :)

I have a new voice actress for Mariana! Now if only I could remember who I wanted for her... Oh well!

**DISCLAIMER: I own the adorable Mariana :)**

_**~Kitty~**_

It was quiet. Usually Mariana would try and strike up a conversation, but she was taking a nap on Manny's back. She was tired from the traveling, and had decided to sleep away her exhaustion. Manny said he didn't mind. But his patience was quickly wearing thin at Crash, Eddie, and Ellie's antics.

"We'll never make it at this pace!" Manny shouted suddenly.

Mariana jumped from fright. She fell from Manny's back, and Diego shot through the air, catching her in his mouth. Setting her down, he glared at Manny.

"Easy with the yelling, huh? You almost killed her!"

"Oh, she would have survived," Sid said, waving off the tiger.

"Sorry, it's just..." trailing off, he glanced back at Ellie. She quickly hid behind a tree. "Ellie, it's okay! You can lose the camouflage! You're safe!"

"Okay!" she shouted, but then turned to her brothers. "Safe? Please. Crash, Eddie, you two go scope it out."

They nodded and scurried up a tree. They searched around comically, complete with a paw-over-the-eyes-to-keep-the-sunlight. In all seriousness.

Mariana couldn't help but laugh a little.

"What you got?" Eddie asked.

"Perimeter all clear," Crash reported.

"Roger that. One-niner, over."

"Roger, over, victor-" Crash stopped when a branch hit him on the head. He glared at his brother, who was laughing, and started chasing him.

Irritated, Ellie yelled, "Guys!"

"All clear!"

Sighing in relief, she came out from behind the tree. They started walking at a regular pace, but then Eddie spotted something in the sky. Squinting at it, he realized that it was a...

"Hawk!" he cried.

He and Crash both flopped on their backs. Ellie followed them, making the ground around them shake.

Hearing a thud, Manny turned back, rolling his eyes at the sight. He walked back to them, sighing.

"What are you doing?"

"Playing dead," Ellie hissed.

"Hey Manny, why don't you do that?" Sid asked.

"Because I'm a mammoth!"

"But you'd do it for treats, right?"

Manny sighed in aggravation.

"Is he gone?" Ellie asked.

"You're safe. Get up."

Sighing with relief, Ellie got up, with the help of her brothers. "Man! If you weren't here, that hawk would have swooped down and snatched me for dinner! That's how cousin Wilton went."

Getting back on the path, Diego, with a napping Mariana in his jaws, Sid, Crash, and Eddie lagged behind a little while Manny and Ellie went ahead.

"Boy, I really feel for you. I do," Ellie said suddenly. "I can't even imagine what it'd be like to be the last one of your species!"

"I'm not the last one," Manny said, looking at her.

"You brave, brave soul. That's right. Don't give up hope."

"Ellie..." glancing down, he saw some mud that Ellie had just stepped through. "Look at our footprints." He put his foot in her footprint. "They're the same shape."

"Well, how do I know those aren't your footprints?" she asked.

"Well, then..." Glancing to the side, he saw their shadows. "Look at our shadows." When she looked at them, he continued. "We match."

"You're right. They're the same." Pausing, she smiled. At first, Manny thought he had made her realize she was a mammoth. But then she said, "You must be part possum!"

He paused. As she went ahead of him, Crash and Eddie passed.

"You wish," Crash said, earning a high-five from Eddie.

Hours passed as they continued to travel. They were eventually brought to a half-frozen lake. Diego and a now-awake Mariana gazed fearfully at it.

"Do we have to cross this, Manny?" Diego asked as Manny stepped onto the ice.

"Yeah, unless you'd rather go around it and not make it to the boat before the dam bursts," he said sarcastically. "Now come on!"

Diego stepped onto the ice. "Come on, Mari. Let's go."

Mariana whimpered, but followed her father. Mariana stayed by Manny, knowing that he could save her better than her father could since he couldn't swim. She loved her father, but she knew that she would be safer with Manny. Diego was cautiously walking, but, unfortunately, cautiously meant slowly. She wished he was walking closer so he could be saved by Manny should the ice break.

"Diego, there are whole continents moving faster than you!" Manny shouted. "We gotta catch up with the others!"

Diego growled softly, scolding himself for being afraid of a little water. But, glancing down, he saw all that water underneath the ice, and he had to remind himself that it wasn't just a little.

His attention was turned to the twins as they skated along the ice. "Hey! Knock it off!"

Sliding to a stop, Eddie leaned against Ellie's leg, grabbing Crash's tail as he slid unsteadily. "Cry me a river, blubber-tooth tiger. Have some fun!"

"The ice is thin enough without you two wearing it down!" he snapped.

"Diego, come on. The ice may be thin, but it's strong enough to hold a ten-ton mammoth and a nine-ton possum!" Sid reasoned, smiling.

They continued to make their way across the lake. Manny suddenly slowed, looking around. He had the weirdest feeling...

"Uncle Manny?" Mariana asked, unsettled by her uncle's behavior. Just as Crash and Eddie started a slap-fight with each other, a creature smashed through the ice, making them run back to Ellie, screaming. The ice around them all shattered, sending Crash and Eddie to one piece, Diego to a small one, Ellie to one, and Manny and Mariana to another one. Diego clutched the ice with his claws, frozen in fear.

"Mammal overboard!" Sid cried as he flew through the air, landing in the water.

"Ellie, get up!" Crash shouted, both of the twins trying to wake Ellie up. "If you play dead, you'll be dead!"

"Look at me!" Eddie cried, smacking her eyeballs. She woke up, and the three ran for solid ground, screaming.

"Diego!" Sid shouted in fear as he swam toward the tiger. He glanced back, noticing Maelstrom swimming toward him. He screamed and swam faster.

"Diego!"

He finally reached the tiger, heaving himself onto the ice. He grabbed Diego's arm, trying to dislodge the terrified tiger. He wouldn't budge.

"Come on, Diego. Come on!"

As he looked at the speeding Maelstrom, he became desperate. Suddenly thinking of a plan, he prayed that Diego would understand. This plan would either make Diego grateful, or piss him off. Sid gulped. He thought that dying at the fins of that fish was better than at the claws of a very pissed saber tooth tiger.

"This may sting a little." And then he closed his jaws around Diego's tail.

Diego roared in surprise and pain, then seemed to realize what was happening. He and Sid jumped off the ice just as Maelstrom jumped on it, screaming. Maelstrom chased them, but they were too fast. He sunk into the water, glaring at the animals that got away.

Manny looked around the water by the ice he and Mariana were on, eyes narrowed. Glancing at Mariana, he saw that the cub had tears of fear running down her face. She was cowering under him, eyes wide, shaking. It brought tears to his eyes just looking at her.

He snapped his head to where Cretaceous had jumped onto the ice, hissing and growling at them. He wrapped his trunk around Mariana protectively, backing up to the edge of the ice. It tipped, making Cretaceous be above them slightly. It's red eyes glinted and it lunged. Time slowed for Manny.

The first thing he registered was a terror-filled scream from Mariana. Next, he realized his eyes were shut. Then, he heard Diego's anguish-filled yell for his daughter. Finally... No pain? He at least expected to have some pain in his leg or something. Then, his eyes shot open as he thought that the creature had got Mariana in stead of him. He was relieved, and a little scared, when he came face-to-face with Cretaceous. He realized that he had tilted his head at an angle that his tusks had caught Cretaceous's extremely large jaws. Cretaceous wiggled a little, trying to get loose.

Manny glanced back at Ellie and her brothers, then at Mariana. The tiger cubs eyes were shut tight, tears still streaming down her face. She was clutching the necklace in a tiny paw like it was her lifeline, which it probably was for her. He stepped forward, careful to not land on Mariana, and slung Cretaceous back into the water.

"Honey, you can open your eyes now."

The shaking cub peered at Manny through one light brown eye. "I-Is it g-gone?"

"Yeah," he soothed. "Now let's go before it comes back."

She stood to her feet, but froze when she saw all the water around them. Manny sighed, picking her up and cradling her in his trunk. He walked back to land, where the two sabers had a tearful embrace.

"Mariana," he breathed in relief as he nuzzled her lovingly.

"Daddy," she whimpered. "I don't wanna go back out there."

"You don't have to, Mari."

While they had their father/daughter moment, Manny glanced back at the water. Cretaceous and Maelstrom glared angerly at them, then sunk back into the water.

"What in the animal kingdom was that?" Sid cried.

"I don't know," Diego said, clearly shaken, pawing the dirt. "But from now on, land: safe, water: not safe."

He licked Mariana's head just as Ellie and her brothers came up to them.

"That was the bravest thing I've ever seen," Ellie said, looking at Manny.

"It was nothing. I-"

"It's not a compliment," she interupted, earning curious glances. "To a possum, bravery is just dumb."

"Yeah, we're spineless!" Crash shouted as they turned to continue traveling.

"Lily-livered," Eddie added.

"Maybe mammoths are going extinct because they get in danger!" Ellie called back. "Maybe you should run away more!"

"Good point. Thanks for the advice!" Manny called sarcastically.

"Happy to help!" Ellie smiled.

"Do you believe her?" Manny asked, annoyed. "'Bravery is dumb. Maybe you should run away more.' She's infuriating and stubborn and narrow-minded!"

"You like her," Sid jabbed, smiling stupidly.

"I do not!" he shouted as they continued walking. Mariana stayed close to her father. "Don't worry. Your secret's safe with me." When Manny was out of hearing range, he turned to Diego. "And so is yours."

"What secret?" Diego asked angrily.

"You know, the one where you can't swim!"

"That's ridiculous," he deadpanned.

"Fine. But we're living in a melting world!" Sid smiled teasing, walking through a puddle of water that Diego was carefully avoiding. "You're going to have to face your fear sooner or later."

Diego growled angrily, finally deciding to hop over the puddle. Glancing back, he saw that Mariana didn't move from her spot.

"Mari? Are you okay?" he asked.

"I-I'm scared Daddy," she whimpered. "What if the flood kills us?"

"Oh, that won't happen," he reassured, going to pick her up. Setting her down on the other side of the water, he smiled. "We're survivors. Me, you, Manny, and maybe even Ellie and her brothers."

"What about Sid?" Mariana asked as they started to catch up to the others.

"Sid wouldn't survive if a leaf fell on his head."

_**~Kitty~**_

This is my favorite chapter yet! :) Tell me what ya think! Which one's **_YOUR_** favorite chapter?

_**~Kitty~**_


	10. Tons of Fun

_**I FOUND MARIANA'S VOICE ACTRESS!**_ The actress is... Jenna D. A. Ronzzio, who voices as Kiara on Lion King II :) One kid playing two cubs!

Thanks to all of my reviewers, Alert-ers and Favorite-ers! :) :) :) I love you all!

Creative chapter title, go! Lol, I'll find something better soon ^^" Deal with it!

**DISCLAIMER: I own Mariana and THAT'S. IT.**

_**~Kitty~**_

Sid smiled as they continued their journey. Ellie and her "brothers" had went ahead to "log slide," or something along those lines. He, Manny, Diego, and Mariana were just peacefully walking along, enjoying the fair weather, when suddenly...

"Ahhhhh!" Sid shouted as he was attacked.

Manny and Diego leaped in front of Mariana, both ready for a fight. But what they found instead of an adversary was quite amusing and irritating.

"A leaf?" Mariana asked, peaking out from behind her father.

Sid quivered by the leaf that was now on the ground, but then noticed everyone staring at him. He quickly straightened out.

"Oh, no! It- It was a..." He paused, realizing they weren't going to buy it. "Alright, but it startled me!"

They all glanced at each other. And then burst out laughing. Sid wasn't amused.

"Okay, no fair! Who wouldn't be surprised?"

"A person with brains?" Mariana giggled.

Sid rolled his eyes and glanced at Diego. "Lovely kid you're raising."

They continued to travel, jabbing Sid with jokes. They finally simmered into a silence, just as they caught up with Eddie and Crash. Ellie wasn't in sight.

"Where's Ellie?" Manny asked.

"Looking... for a... stronger log," Crash strained while they struggled to push the log up a hill.

"Almost... there!" Eddie huffed.

"Okay!" Crash shouted as they pushed a log up a hill. "Ready, Eddie?"

"Set!" he replied.

"Let's roll."

They pushed the log, tipping it over the hill. Crash quickly crawled into the hole of the log, but Eddie was less fortunate.

"Wait for me!" he shouted as he jumped onto the log. He ran to keep up with its rapid rotation, but eventually his tail was caught and he rolled wrapped in the log, screaming. Mariana giggled as they watched them.

Suddenly, Ellie flew by on a log, running on it just as Eddie had. She ran over a tree with her log.

"No brakes! Gotta roll! Meet you at the other end!"

Manny glanced at Sid. "So you think she's the girl for me?"

"Yeah!" he shouted, looking excited. "She's tons of fun and you're no fun at all!"

He put his claws together into a heart. "She completes you."

Manny rolled his eyes. "Yeah."

"Hey, Manny!" Crash shouted as he and his brother scurried up to them. "Can you pull back the tree and shoot me into the pond?"

"No."

"Come on!" Crash pleaded.

"You expect to impress Ellie with that attitude?" Sid asked.

"I don't want to impress her!" Manny defended.

"Then why are you trying to convince her she's a mammoth?" Mariana asked.

"Because that's what she is!" Manny shouted. "I don't care if she thinks she's a possum! You can't be two things!"

"_Au contraire_, Man-fered," Sid said. "Tell that to the bullfrog, chicken hawk, or turtledove."

"He's never gonna let up on you," Diego said. "It'll be easier on all of us if you just go with it."

Manny resisted the urge to growl. He was still going to decline, but then he locked eyes with Mariana. Her gaze seemed to say, 'Go ahead; have a little fun. Please?'

Manny sighed. "So what do you want me to do?"

Crash and Eddie scurried up the tree, using their tails to keep balance. "Pull the tree back and shoot me into the pond."

"I don't know..." Manny trailed off, squinting his eyes at the twins.

"If you're too lame to do it, we can get Ellie."

"No, no, no. No, I can do it. I can do it," he said, but he wasn't really confident. He was sure that someone was going to end up hurt.

Seeing his doubt, Mariana jumped in. "They want to do it. If they get hurt, they asked for it. Literally."

Manny nodded and grabbed the trunk of the tree. Eddie jumped down when the tree got close enough to the ground, but his brother remained.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Come on, come on!" Crash shouted, anticipation and excitement clear in his voice.

"Have you done this before?" Manny asked, severely doubting it.

"Only a million times!" Crash shouted.

"Farther, farther, farther!" Manny stepped on it, the pressure of the tree easier to handle.

"Perfect. Fire!"

Manny raised his foot, launching the tree upward and Crash into the air. Crash soared with his arms wide, shouting, "Yeah! I can fly! I believe I can flyyy-!"

He promptly smashed face-first into a tree.

"Crash!" Eddie shouted, running on all fours to get to his downed brother. "Crash! Crash!"

"Uh oh," everyone uttered, running to the fallen possum.

"Crash, are you okay?" Eddie asked, grabbing his shoulders and shaking them.

"What happened?" Ellie asked, a worried expression on her face.

"Manny shot him out of a tree!" Eddie cried, cradling his fallen brother. The worry was clear on his face, replacing the childish joy the group was used to.

"What's wrong with you?" Ellie asked sassily, glaring at the offending mammoth. They had never seen her so mad.

"He said he could do it," Manny said, defending himself.

"And you listened to him?" Ellie question, both shocked and trying to prove a point.

"Crash, whatever you do, don't go into the light!" Eddie shouted, shaking his brother's shoulders to try and wake him up.

Diego pulled Mariana close, trying to shield her view from what he thought was the dying possum. She pinned her ears back, her eyes tearing up. She may not have known the long, but she knew that death was a tragedy, for any animal that wasn't her prey. Sid had a frown on his face, deciding to keep quiet. He didn't know how to deal with the situation; all he knew to do was pray that the injuries to Crash weren't as bad as his overdramatic brother was putting on.

Manny looked at Ellie, feeling terrible. He didn't mean to cause the possum any harm; he was just trying to... What was he trying to do? Prove he could be as fun as Ellie? Try to earn the companionship of the three? Get respect? ... Show off? He hated to admit it, but it was a little of all of them. He looked back at Ellie. "Can I help in any way here?" he asked.

"You've done enough," was his curt reply.

Manny's worry was masked by his anger. "Are you happy now?" he asked Sid.

"Crash, Crash, don't leave me!" Eddie shouted.

"Who's gonna watch my back?" he asked no one in particular, near losing his mind. "Who's gonna be my wingman of mayhem?" He paused, jumping to his feet. "Who's gonna roll in that dung patch with me?"

Suddenly (so sudden that it scared everyone), Crash's head shot up. "Dung patch?" he asked enthusiastically.

"Wait, my legs!" he shouted, jumping to his feet. "I can stand!"

"He can stand!" Eddie shouted, overjoyed that his brother was alright.

"I can run!" Crash continued, jogging in place.

"He can run!" Eddie yelled as he ran in circles with Crash. He hugged his brother. "It's a miracle!"

"Hallelujah!" Ellie shouted, jumping around. She earned raised eyebrows from everyone but her two brothers. She chuckled nervously. "What can I say? They're boys. They make my life a little adventure!"

She suddenly glared at the two, stomping over. "You guys are so dead!"

They all flinched at the sight of the "lesson" the possums were being taught. Diego covered Mariana's eyes.

**_~Later~_**

The gang soon found daylight ending as they reached an area of downed trees. Manny cleared the path, but Ellie and her brothers jumped ahead playing tag or whatever. It involved weaving through the massive, heavy trees, but the "possum" family took no notice. Ellie had difficulty, but she tried to make it less obvious and continue to have fun.

"She's not half bad," Manny heard to his right. He looked down to see Sid and Diego and his daughter. He waved the tree toward them. Diego and Mariana were smart enough to dodge, but Sid was knocked down. Mariana rolled her eyes and helped him up.

"Crazy and confused," Diego said. At his daughter's glare, he continued after ducking a second tree. "But sweet."

"So?" Manny asked.

"So what's holding you back?" Mariana asked.

He tossed another tree, looking down sadly at the young saber. "My family."

"You can have that again, you know," Sid joined in from inside a hollow tree Manny held in his trunk.

"No, Sid, I can't," Manny glared.

Sid looked mad. "Okay, okay, but think about it! I mean, if you let this chance go, you're letting your whole species go and that's just... that's just selfish!"

Manny's gaze hardened and he flung the tree Sid was in over his shoulder, stomping off.

"I think I'm starting to get through to him," Sid said as Diego and Mariana approached him.

"Sure," Diego said, rolling his eyes. He glanced at his daughter as she let out a yawn.

"Looks like someone's tired," Sid teased.

She glared at him. "No way, sloth."

His eyebrows rose.

Diego smiled at Mariana. "C'mon. Let's set up camp and I'll give you a bath."

Mariana huffed. They found a clear spot nearby. As Sid set up a fire, Diego sat down.

"Mariana, can you go get the twins? They need to know where we're settin up camp, and someone needs to brush up on her tracking skills."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "I do not!" She seemed to change her mind, much to Diego's amusement. She shrugged. "Okay, I guess I do. I'll go get them."

She stuck her nose to the ground. She smelled her father, Manny, Ellie, Sid (bleh), and... There! She caught their scent trail. She weaved in and out if the fallen tree, through a large hole in the ground, and finally coming to rest at the top of a large hill. She spotted them at the bottom, Eddie chasing Crash around with... Was that ash on his fur? Oh well.

Mariana trotted down toward them. She tried to get their attention, but they wouldn't stop. She rolled her eyes.

"What does a saber tooth tiger gotta do to get someone's attention?" she asked herself.

She smiled deviously, the slinked into the bushes...

As Eddie chased Crash, his instincts suddenly detected that they were being watched. He halted, making his brother turn in confusion.

"Dude?" Crash asked, only getting a "Shhh!" as a response.

He felt it too, then. They both looked around, in the sky for hawks, but whoever (whatever) was watching them was good at camoflauge. Suddenly, they were both knocked onto their backs.

"Oh please, don't eat us!" Eddie shouted.

"We're carrying diseases!" Crash yelled, both of their eyes squeezed shut. At the sound of laughter, their eyes opened.

"You guys are silly," Mariana giggled, earning shocked looks from the twins.

"It was you?" they both asked.

Mariana smiled and let them up. "I'm practicing my hunting!" She suddenly paused, looking around. "Daddy told me to come and get y'all to our campsite, but I forgot where that was..."

"Can't you just backtrack?" Eddie asked.

She brightened at this. "Oh yeah!"

She started leading them, humming softly. They jumped in her back, almost taking up her small body. She didn't mind; they barely weighed anything.

"So Blubber Tooth Tiger is your dad?" Crash asked.

She glanced back at them, frowning. "Watch what you say about my daddy."

Eddie threw his hands up in a surrendering gesture. "Eh, it was just a question."

She snorted, shaking them off. She turned to face them. "Why don't you like him?"

They looked at each other. Eddie answered. "What makes you think that?"

Confusion was present on her face. "But you act like it."

Crash chuckled. "Nah, playing pranks is how we show our love!"

This only puzzled her more. She decided to leave it alone. She was tired, and the dark was starting to get to her, making her paranoid. They made it back okay, but as soon as she stepped paw into the clearing, Diego grabbed her.

She squealed in surprise, but then settled down as he gave her a bath.

"Wait, where's Manny and Ellie?" Eddie asked, he and his brother looking around for any sight of them. Nothing.

"Ah, I think they went that way," Sid said, pointing.

They looked at each other, wide-eyed. "Our little sister is alone with a male!" they shouted together.

"Little?" Mariana asked from her bath.

They scurried off, leaving the three remaining animals amused and confused.

_**~Kitty~**_

*sigh* I think Mariana needs to be a little sweeter in this chapter... Anyone else think she's acting a little off?

I... Am... Not... **ACHOO**! I am not sick!

_**~Kitty~**_


	11. Balancing Act

Okay, so Mariana is eight years old. Just clarifying that.

And, if you haven't noticed yet, I'm only focusing on Mariana. One, she's the whole reason this story even _exists_. And two, I'm too lazy to write the extra scenes, like Manny and Ellie's conversation-turned-argument when they're alone. And as far as I'm concerned, Mariana doesn't know what was said :P

Let's get on with the show :)

P.S. I'm soon introducing a new OC :) I'm so excited! She only appears in one chapter, but she's important!

**DISCLAIMER: I hate doing these. Okay, I own Mariana. Not any other characters. Just her.**

_**~Kitty~**_

"Boy, Manny sure took a big leap with Ellie today," Sid commented as he collected rocks for his fire. He paused, glancing at the rustling bushes. He shook his head, watching as Diego walked past him, a yawning Mariana by his side.

"Sure did," Diego said, laying down and allowing his daughter to curl up beside him.

"He stood on the shore of uncertainty and dove right in! Splash!" Sid said as he slid down next to Diego. He got up. "Kind of brave, huh? The way he _faced his fear_."

"I wouldn't know. Sabres don't feel fear." Diego said, getting up. He brought Mariana's curled form closer to him, licking her head.

"Come on, all animals feel fear. It's what separates us from, say, rocks," Sid started, holding up his rock. "Rocks have no fear." He tossed it. They watched as it sunk in a puddle of water. "And they sink."

"What are you getting at, Sid?" Diego deadpanned.

"It may surprise you to know that I, too, have experienced fear."

"No. You?" Mariana asked with a yawn.

"Yeah. Yes, as impossible as it seems, the sloth has natural enemies that would like to harm or otherwise _kill_ us."

"I wonder why?" Diego asked with no amount of uncertainty, glancing at his amused daughter.

"Jealousy, mostly. But the point is that fear is natural."

Diego got in his face, glaring as Sid backed up. "Fear is for _prey_." He turned to walk away, Mariana by his side.

"Well, then, you're letting the water make you its prey!" Diego stopped, looking back. Sid scurried over to a tree trunk sticking out, perching himself on it as he resumed to speak.

"Just jump in and trust your instincts!" He dove into the bushes and began "swimming" through them. "You know, most animals can swim as babies."

He dove deeper into them and out of sight, appearing on another- further away- log. "And for a tiger, it's like crawling on your belly to stalk helpless prey." He did this.

He dove off. Diego rolled his eyes and turned to walk in the other direction, but Sid fell in front of him with vines holding his limbs. "But faster, okay? Now, claw, kick, claw, kick. I'm stalking the prey. Claw, kick." Diego kept looking ahead while Mariana smiled in amusement.

"I look back over my shoulder to see if I'm being followed. And I'm breathing. And I'm stalking and I'm stalking and I'm-"

Diego snapped a vine without looking at it, hearing Sid land with a thud in front of him. Mariana burst out laughing.

"I'm falling," Sid finished.

Diego looked down at him. "Correction. You're sinking." Diego walked over him.

Mariana looked at Sid, giggling from her controlled laughter. "Kind of like a rock." She followed her father, leaving a dazed Sid behind in the dust.

**_~Later~_**

Diego sat by the fire, Mariana curled up at his paws as he gently lulled her to sleep by licking her head. Sid warmed his claws, looking up as Manny approached.

Diego smiled. "So, how'd it go?" he asked.

"Not bad," Manny said breezily.

Suddenly, Ellie came storming by, Crash and Eddie perched on her back. She stomped into a puddle, thoroughly putting out Sid's fire. "Okay, let's go. We traveled with you _all day_, now you're coming with us at _night_."

"But we can't see at night," Manny said.

"Then enjoy the flood!"

"I can't even look at him!" Eddie said, scowling and looking straight ahead.

"Pervert!" Crash called back. Manny looked taken aback. Crash did the "I'm-watching-you" sign with his clawed fingers.

"Making friends everywhere you go. Just making friends," Sid said, smiling obliviously.

_**~Later~**_

Sid walked along happily, looking around in the heavy mist that covered the ground. Diego walked beside him, carrying a half-awake Mariana in his jaws. Suddenly, Sid lurched as a log hit a very _sensitive spot_.

"Watch out, there's a stump," Crash said.

"Not anymore," Sid strained.

"I thought we could walk together," Manny said as he caught up with Ellie.

She didn't spare him a glance. "Crash, ask the mammoth why he thinks that."

"She said she thinks you're a jerk and to go away!" Crash shouted, jumping onto Manny's tusks.

"She didn't say-" Manny cried out in pain as his forehead hit the rock over his head. Crash jumped away.

"Look, maybe if we spend more time-" He cried out in pain again as he hit his leg on something.

"Tell him that I need a little personal space right now," Ellie said.

"She said go jump in a lake."

"And possums rule," Eddie finished for his brother. The bumped fists.

"I can hear her, you know."

"What do you want? A medal?" Crash asked.

Suddenly, the ground beneath them tore into sections. Crash and Eddie fell beneath the mist, appearing later to be alright on a different layer of stone. Manny and Ellie lurched as the stone they were on wavered. Diego barely caught the edge, a now alert Mariana safe in his mouth. Sid, not wanting to be left behind, jumped and clung to Diego's dangling back legs.

Diego quickly noticed that the more they moved, the more unstable the rock became. "Stop moving!" he commanded, letting go of Mariana. She stayed okay on- remotely- stable ground. "Thank you," he breathed in relief as the stone stopping moving.

Suddenly, the tiny bit of rock holding the top layer burst, making everything lurch. Sid flew from Diego, barely being able to hang on to another layer of rock that swung beneath him. Mariana was swung off balance, and she barely managed to catch the edge of the rock- just far enough away to wear Diego could only watch as his daughter swung. Ellie's half of the top rock soon started to split. Before it could completely, Diego ordered, "Manny, Ellie! Lock trunks!" Sensing Ellie's disgust, he shouted, "_Now_!"

He looked down to where Crash and Eddie were swinging. Noticing that they were approaching a ledge that could save them all, he shouted, "Crash, Eddie! Grab on to that ledge!"

They looked down at the ground, which seemed so far away. They couldn't see a definite end because of mist, but the did see sharp rocks poking out. "Funny. Now what's your real plan?" Eddie asked sarcastically.

"Just do it!"

Crash latched on to Eddie in a hug. "Bye, Eddie."

Eddie hugged back. "Bye, Crash."

"Bye, Ellie!" Crash waved.

"Go! Now!" Diego shouted.

Eddie closed the distance between the rock tower and stable ground, with Crash holding on to his tail so he could catch his brother if he fell.

Manny looked into Ellie's eyes, still locking trunks. "I'm sorry if what I said before offended you."

"What do you mean _if_ it offended me?" she asked, jerking away from him. The rock tower lurched.

"_That_ it offended her! _That_ it offended her!" Eddie shouted, dangling from his tail now that he had no grip on solid ground.

"I mean _that_! _That_ it offended you!" Manny shouted. Satisfied, Ellie locked trunks with him again. Everything stilled. Then- "You just overreacted, that's all."

"_What_?" Ellie screeched.

"Take it back!" Eddie shouted. "There are other lives at stake here!"

"Wait a minute, he's got a point," Sid said.

"He's got _nothing_!" Crash shouted.

"It was a misunderstanding!" Mariana shouted.

"It was insensitive!" Eddie shouted back.

"Apologize!" Diego shouted.

"Why me?" asked Manny. "She overreacted!"

"Just apologize!"

"No!"

"_Do it_!"

"Okay, I'm sorry!" Ellie shouted.

"What?" said everyone else. Everything stilled.

"He's right. I overreacted," she admitted.

"You mean-"

"Not another word or I'll come down there and push you over myself!" Diego snarled.

Sid crawled over toward the solid ground, hoping to get off of the rock. "I got it. I got it." He stumbled off, letting out a sigh of relief. "I got it." A rumbling sound met his ears. Looking back, his eyes widened in horror. The rock tower was turning over.

The rock holding Manny and Ellie together separated. Manny kept Ellie and the rock up.

"Manny, Ellie, run! _Run_!" Diego shouted.

Manny pulled Ellie up and over, running along the rocks with Crash and Eddie to safety. At the same time, Diego grabbed Mariana, jumping and weaving through the collapsing stone. He reached the end of the stone. He leaped. Mariana squeezed her eyes shut, waiting for the fall that would end her and her father's life.

It never came. Opening her brown eyes, she gazed at Manny and Ellie. Their trunks successfully grabbed on to her father's paws, keeping them from falling.

"I guess we finally did something right together," Ellie said, gazing at Manny. He smiled.

"Hey, don't mind us," Mariana said. "Just hanging off the edge of a cliff here." Looking down, she shuddered. They pulled her and Diego up. He let her out of his mouth, nuzzling her.

**_~Later~_**

Sid nursed his flames, a smile on his goofy face. He noticed Manny and Ellie walking toward the fire. Hoping to avoid what happened earlier, he guarded his precious fire as they walked by, happy when nothing was splashed to extinguish the flames.

Diego lay with Mariana curled up by his side, finally asleep after the long night. His ear twitched and he opened his eyes to Sid, who was moving a piece of tree bark up beside him.

"Remember the good old days?" Sid asked.

"Which good old days?" Diego asked.

"You know. Yesterday, last week. Back when the trees went up and down and the ground stayed under our feet." He dusted off the bark with his tail.

"Yep. Those were the good days," Diego said, keeping his voice down. He didn't want to wake up Mariana. She was an angel, but if her sleep was interupted one more time... It wouldn't be pretty. He knew from experience. "Possums were possums and mammoths were mammoths." Glancing at Mariana, he said "We should get some sleep."

"Yeah. Tomorrow's the day the vulture said we're all going to die," Sid said, laying down. He promptly fell asleep.

Diego rolled his eyes at the snoring Sid. He lay back down, licking Mariana's head. "Goodnight, angel."

They all soon fell asleep, all under the watchful eye of the vulture...

~Later (Dawn)~

Mariana's ear twitched. She groggily opened her eyes, which hardened. She jumped up with a snarl. "Who interupted my sleep," she snarled.

"Relax, kid."

She glared up at the vulture. He ruffled his feathers. "What do _you_ want?"

"Well, I was hopin for a snack..." At her snarl, he continued. "But then I thought, _'Wow, I haven't done a good deed in a while!'_"

"Why am I not surprised?" she deadpanned.

He glowered. "I'm trying to help you and your... ahem... Is it a herd?"

She rolled her eyes, but sat down. "Okay, what is it?"

"Flood waters are coming up fast."

"How do I know you're not lying?"

"Now why do you expect that?"

"I'm eight. Daddy taught me to never trust strangers."

"Good father."

"Leave. _Now_. Before I _make_ you."

He shrugged. "Suit yourself. Stay here and drown." He flew off.

She curled back up to her dad, muttering, "_'Stay here and drown.'_ Pfft, yeah right. There ain't no flood waters. The dam hasn't burst yet." She fell back asleep, but a part of her kept nagging that the vulture wasn't lying.

**_~Kitty~_**

Anyone else notice that as they're sleeping, the camera zooms out and a vulture is sitting on a branch? I did. *shrugs* I thought I would put him in the story. Plus there needed to be more Mariana. She's more background and not very important in this chapter.

Let me know what you think :)

_**~Kitty~**_


	12. The Dam Breaks

Who loves me for another chapter? That's right! You do!

Song lyrics in **bold**.

Here we go :)

_**IMPORTANT! PLEASE READ: Check out a song by Cady Groves called "This Little Girl"! This side of Mariana will bloom in a couple of chapters in Ice Age 3 :) I highly recommend listening to it! Please! You have to to understand Mariana in her "pre-teen" years :)**_

**DISCLAIMER: Mariana is mine, all MINE! Mwahahahahahaha! *clears throat* Uh, sorry about that :)**

_**~Kitty~**_

Diego's green eyes opened. He yawned, letting out a little roar. He got up and stretched. But as he finished, he noticed that something peculiar was touching his paws. "Water?" His eyes widened. "Water!"

He jumped on Manny's back, startling the mammoth. Manny ran around, bumping into the tree that Ellie and her brothers were in. Crash and Eddie fell on Mariana, waking her up. She screamed as she realized she was laying in water and jumped to the safety of her father, shivering.

"Crash, I told you not to drink before bed," Eddie said, looking at the waist-deep water they were standing in.

"I didn't do this!" As Eddie walked away, Crash finished with less certainty. "At least, not all of it..."

"What's happening?" Mariana asked.

"We overslept," Manny answered. "We need to move."

"What if we're the last creatures left alive?" Eddie asked. "We'll have to repopulate the Earth!"

"How? Everyone's either a dude, our sister, or under age," Crash said. Diego grabbed Mariana in his mouth, growling at what they said- fur ruffled. They jumped up on Ellie's back, looking fearfully at the overprotective tiger.

"Hi. Hey, Manny!" Sid shouted, stumbling out of the trees. "Wow! What a night! You'll never guess what happened!"

Diego let Mariana down. She prowled around Sid, making him gulp.

"I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say you were sleepwalking," she purred.

"No, no, no. I was kidnapped by a tribe of mini sloths."

Mariana glanced at him, worried. "That was gonna be my second guess?"

"And they worshiped me!" he shouted, smiling. "I mean, sure, they tossed me into a flaming tar pit, but they worshiped me!"

"Sid, you were dreaming," Diego said, rolling his eyes.

"Come on, the water's rising faster than we're moving," Manny said, starting to walk.

"I'm telling you, I was kidnapped! I was worshiped! Guys!" He gave up. "Fine."

"Can we slow down a little? I'm dying here!" Sid gasped. He was eyeballed by many vultures. Hastily making his way closer to the herd, he said, "It was just a figure of speech."

They slowed to a stop, nervously looking at the growing amount of vultures. "They just sit there, watching us," Manny said, a little disturbed. Mariana edged closer to Diego, who wrapped an arm around her.

"I wish I knew what they were thinking," Sid whispered.

"**Food glorious food. We're anxious to try it**," one started to sing.

They ducked as a female vulture flew over them, singing, "**Three banquets a day! Our favorite diet**!"

"**Just picture a mammoth steak, fried, roasted or stewed**!" a little vulture chick joined in.

Every vulture joined in. "**Oh, food! Wonderful food! Marvelous food! Glorious food**!"

The herd started running as they continued singing. "**Food glorious food**!"

Crash and Eddie played dead as a vulture appeared in front of them. "**Poached possum served flambe**!" Ellie grabbed them, glaring at the singer.

"**Broth made from a sloth**!" Sid was chased by the vultures, landing in a pit of mud. Mariana pushed on a log, sending him out.

"**Or sabre tooth souffle**!" Mariana gasped. Diego jumped in front of her, snarling at the vulture. It backed away. He ushered her away.

"**Why should we be fated to do nothing but brood on food! Magical food! Wonderful food! Marvelous food**!" Manny set off a tree trunk. They all crossed it, but slid down a hill on a rock.

"**Food glorious food! Flesh picked off the dead ones**!" they sung as the herd walked on a narrow path that wound around a mountain. Everywhere they went, they were followed by the singing vultures.

"**Rank, rotten or chewed**!" Ellie and Manny sent Crash and Eddie flying through the air to the other side of a divide.

"**Soon we'll be the fed ones! Just thinking of putrid meat**!" They sent boulders falling down. Ellie and Manny were caught on two. "**Puts us in a mood! For food, glorious food**!" Diego jumped up- with Mariana in his mouth- and landed on the backs of them. "**Marvelous food! Fabulous food**!" Manny grabbed Sid- who had Crash and Eddie on his head- and put him on Diego's back. "**Beautiful food! Magical food**!" As the herd went tumbling, the little vulture chick sung, "**Glorious food**!"

They all looked over the edge, seeing the herd piled up on a tree.

"There. Now you know what they were thinking," Manny deadpanned, looking at Sid.

_**~Later~**_

As they were traveling, Sid starting singing the song that the vultures were.

"Sid!" Everyone shouted.

"What? It's catchy!" Sid defended.

They finished walking up the hill. They're eyes widened and they all smiled. The boat was there! Just in front of them! They could make it before the flood!

"We made it!" Mariana shouted, jumping around her father and giggling.

"Yeah, we showed those scary vultures!" Sid shouted.

They all cheered and rejoiced. Crash and Eddie high-fived, and Manny and Ellie locked tusks. They separated, smiling awkwardly at each other. Ellie started to walk forward, but recoiled with a scream. Steaming hot geysers burst in front of them; a whole field of them! Crash and Eddie screamed, scurrying back to their sister. Mariana whimpered, pressing herself to Diego.

"It's just a little hot water and steam. How bad could it be?" Sid asked. Diego and Mariana glanced at him, uncertainty in their eyes.

Suddenly, a dodo was blown away by the geyser. Its cooked carcass came raining down seconds later.

"I just did something involuntary... and messy," Sid said. Mariana made a face and edged further away from him.

"Okay, come on," Manny said, walking forward.

"Manny, get back! It's a minefield out there!" Diego shouted.

"There's only one way to go. Straight through."

"Straight through? We'd like to keep the fur _on_ our bodies, thank you," Ellie said sarcastically. "We'll head back and go around. It's safer."

"No!" Manny protested. "There's no time! The dam will burst before we make it! We'll drown!"

"If we go through this, we get blown to bits!"

"We go forward!"

"We go back!"

"_Forward_!"

"_Back_!"

"Can I say something?" Mariana asked.

"No!" they both shouted. She pinned her ears back and pouted.

"You are so stubborn and hard-headed!" Manny shouted.

"Well, I guess that proves it," she said as she turned away. "I _am_ a mammoth." She grabbed Crash and Eddie and put them on her back. "Come on."

"Fine," Manny seethed, starting to walk through the field.

"I don't know. Drowning sounds like a much gentler way to go," Sid said, hesitating. Diego and Mariana started walking, the saber cub staying close to her father. "Blown to bits sounds so sudden."

"He's going to get himself killed!" Sid shouted as they noticed Manny's blind stampede. "Manny, wait!"

"Uncle Manny!" Mariana shouted, running to catch up with him. Diego and Sid took off after her. "Mariana!" Diego shouted.

Manny soon found his bad luck. A geyser blew up in front of his face. He was forced to his knees. He saw the world as a blur, heard nothing from the real world. Only echoing voices in his head.

_"Kids, look, the last mammoth."_

_"I just heard you're going extinct."_

_"I'll convert to a mammoth, just for you!"_

_"You can't be two things."_

_"She thinks you're a jerk."_

_"Where's your big, happy family?"_

_"What's wrong with you?"_

Manny blinked his eyes. The blur of Diego, Sid, and Mariana appeared in front of his eyes. His hearing came back foggily.

"Manny, come on! We gotta go! Now!" Diego shouted.

His eyes widened as he looked around. He panicked. He got up, blindly running in a random direction. Diego pushed him back on track, snarling in pain as he felt a bruise forming on his shoulder. "That way!" They all ran out of the field, Mariana scooped up on Diego's back.

"Do not leave your children unattended," a vulture said from above. "All unattended children will be eaten."

The herd weaved through the crowd of animals, looking around for any signs of Ellie or her brothers.

"Have you seen a mammoth?" Manny asked. "No, sorry."

"Have you seen a mammoth?" he asked again. "No."

"Possum? About eleven foot tall?" Diego asked. Mariana kept searching by his side. The animal shook her head.

"Hey, buddy, have you seen a mammoth?"

"I sure have. Big as life," the animal answered Manny.

"Where?"

"I'm looking at him."

"Not me!"

"Poor guy doesn't know he's a mammoth."

Mariana's ears perked, along with everyone else's soon after. "Mariana, what's that noise?" Diego asked his daughter, who had much better hearing than he did.

Her eyes widened. "The dam's bursting." She looked at him. "The flood waters are coming quick!"

Diego's eyes widened and he looked at Manny, who heard everything. "I don't see her anywhere!" Manny shouted. "Maybe she's already on board!" Diego offered.

"Hurry, this way! Come on!" Manny shouted as he directed the animals toward the boat.

Diego looked Mariana in the eyes. "Mari, get on the boat."

"No!" she protested. "I'm not leaving you and Uncle Manny!"

"Get on that boat, Mariana!" he ordered.

Mariana glared at him. She snorted and turned, starting to run toward the boat. Diego looked on with tears in his eyes, then started guiding animals.

Mariana ran through the crowd, tears threatening to spill over her beautiful brown eyes. She sniffled, then jumped up on Manny's tusks.

"Where's your father?" he shouted over the crowd.

Mariana sighed. "Back directing traffic. He told me to get on the boat, but I came with you instead."

Manny was just about to protest, but Crash and Eddie ran across his back and on his other tusk.

"Manny!"

"It's Ellie! She's trapped in a cave!" Crash shouted.

Manny's eyes widened. His gaze hardened as he turned, running through the crowd. He _would_ find Ellie. Mariana jumped off his tusk, following him.

Diego and Sid noticed them running away from the boat. Diego's eyes widened as he have chase. "Mariana!"

Manny and Mariana noticed the raging flood waters approaching fast. They continued running down a sort of path, Diego and Sid trying to keep up. Manny and Mariana skidded to a halt as a rock fell in front of them. The water flew over the cave. Manny, Mariana, and the possum brothers continued running, but were soon swept underwater by the currents.

Diego's heart shattered as he witnessed this.

"_**MARIANA**_!"

He and Sid stood at the ledge, desperately searching for the others. Diego's eyes rapidly flew from wave to wave, looking for his daughter.

She didn't show up.

Diego saw Manny. The possums, hanging on to a tree. But no Mariana.

For the first time in his entire life, he cried.

"**NO**!"

_**~Kitty~**_

Ah, the fun of cliffhangers :) This is the last time I'll update for a while, so take it :) Give me more reviews please!

_**~Kitty~**_


	13. Missing Mariana

Wow, two months already? Heh. Heh heh. ***dodges rocks***

Okay! I am so sorry for the **EXTREMELY** late update! Please forgive me! There has been so much goin on in my life. Relationships, deaths, illnesses... Anyway, enjoy please! I'll be getting a laptop soon, so more updates! Yay!

A reminder for everyone if you forgot what happened last since it's been so long...

_He and Sid stood at the ledge, desperately searching for the others. Diego's eyes rapidly flew from wave to wave, looking for his daughter._

_She didn't show up._

_Diego saw Manny. The possums, hanging on to a tree. But no Mariana._

_For the first time in his entire life, he cried._

_"**NO!**"_

_**~Kitty~**_

Diego had never cried. _Ever_. It was almost impossible. He hadn't cried when he lost his mate. He had to be strong then. Mariana needed a structure, and he was the only one that could give that to her. He was the thing that kept her going all those eight years of her life.

But now. Now she was somewhere in that raging ocean. And Diego could do nothing.

"Help!"

He snapped his head toward Crash and Eddie. They clung to a tree. If only his daughter was as lucky...

"I'll save you!" Sid shouted. He dove toward the waters, but ice intercepted him and locked him unconscious.

"Great. Who's gonna save him?" Crash asked. As Sid came floating by, Crash grabbed him with his tail and Eddie managed to grab his nose.

"You really need to brush," he said, crinkling his nose at the smell of Sid's breath.

Diego's lime green eyes hardened. He wiped his tears visciously, snarling. He went to jump in, but his claws unconsciously stopped him.

"Okay, okay. Jump in now!" Once again, he couldn't bring himself to do it.

"Come on, 'fraidy cat. Come on!" _'I-I'm scared, Daddy.'_ "You can do this, you can do this, you can do this." _'What if the flood kills us?'_ "Trust your instincts. Attack the water." _'I'm not leaving you and Uncle Manny!'_ "I am not your prey. I am not your prey." _'I love you, Daddy.'_

"I am _not_. _Your_. **_Prey_**!"

He jumped in.

He immediately panicked. He started moving his paws awkwardly, trying to get back up to the surface. He managed, but the current was strong. His head was repeatedly pulled under.

"Attack the water. Stalking the prey," he said, motivating himself. _'I love you, Daddy.'_

"Claw, kick. Even babies can do it! Come on!" _'I love you, Daddy.'_

"Claw, kick, claw, kick!" _'I love you, Daddy.'_

It was around then that he realized his head hadn't been underwater in a while. He was swimming. "Hey. I'm stalking the prey!" _'I love you, Daddy.'_

He swam toward the possums and Sid, just barely grabbing Crash's tail. He kept his paws on the submerged tree. Crash had Sid, and Eddie was clutching Sid. Crash lost his grip on Sid, snapping back on Diego's head. _'I love you, Daddy.'_

"Eddie!" Crash shouted as Eddie and Sid were pulled underwater.

Diego dove under with Crash hanging on to his ear. He grabbed Sid, Eddie grabbing a hold of him. He resurfaced, grabbing a hold of a rock, silver claws creating marks in it. Crash and Eddie jumped off, laying on the ground. Diego lifted Sid up just barely getting him on the rock from his exhaustion. He lay his head down, panting. _'I love you, Daddy.'_

"You did it, buddy. You kicked water's butt," Sid smiled.

"Nothing to it. Most animals can swim as babies, you know," Diego said. _'I love you, Daddy.'_

"Yeah, but not tigers. I left that part out."

Diego just stared.

They pulled themselves up on the rock. They kept looking in the water. For Mariana. For Manny. For Ellie. For an absolution that they were still alive.

And suddenly.

"There he is!" Sid shouted, pointing at Manny.

"Ellie, hold on to me," Diego heard Manny say.

And he was then pulled under.

Losing his daughter was enough. But now his brother? Diego didn't know what to do. He had lost everything officially in that moment. Including his mind.

He paced. And paced. And paced.

"Diego-"

"Don't say you understand, Sid!" Diego shouted, losing another thing: his temper. "First my daughter and now Manny!"

They all looked at him sadly. "Dude, everything'll be okay," Crash said.

Diego growled, slashing at a part of the rock they were on. Then suddenly...

Manny popped up.

Diego and everyone cheered. At least it wasn't all bad.

The celebration was cut short.

"Manny, Manny, behind you!" Sid shouted. Manny dove back under with the fish.

Diego went back into pace mode. He stopped, looking into the water. If he squinted, he could see a brown blur. He knew Manny would be okay.

"Try to find Mariana!" he shouted. Eddie crawled on top of Sid, while Crash did the same with Diego.

"I don't see her!" Crash shouted.

"There they are!" Eddie shouted. Everyone looked to where Manny and Ellie resurfaced, making their way to the rock together.

"They made it."

Manny pulled himself up. Ellie had the help of her brothers and Sid. She opened her eyes to look at Crash and Eddie, eyelids drooping in exhaustion.

"We thought we'd never see you again," Eddie said, voice cracking with emotion. They gave her a hug.

Diego saw this in a blur. The water rose to his paws, and he heard Sid say, "We're gonna live!" only to say seconds later, "We're gonna die!"

The only thing he could comprehend was that his daughter was gone.

"Diego."

Diego looked at Manny. The water was up to his chest now.

"Where's Mariana?"

When Diego looked away, Manny realized the bitter truth.

Diego soon had to start swimming. He held onto Manny. He was starting to lose hope that Mariana had made it. She was asleep for most of Sid's "lesson" on how to swim. And what Sid had said didn't help. _"Yeah, but not tigers. I left that part out."_

So swimming didn't come naturally to her. Oh well. The waters were rising. He would soon be with her. Everything would be okay, just like Crash said.

Suddenly, the waters started falling. Soon they were all walking off the rock, meeting up with the animals from the boat.

Diego ran off, searching high and low for any sign of Mariana or... her body...

He felt a trunk on his shoulder. He looked up to Ellie, his eyes shining with tears he'd rather not shead. "I can't imagine what you're going through," she said. "But we'll help you look for her."

He nodded, squeezing his eyes closed. "Thank you."

They all split up. Sid went with Diego. It was very quiet as they went around, looking for any traces of the small saber. Trying to break the tense silence, Sid started talking- surprisingly. "I'm thinking about starting a swim school. Sid's Squids."

Diego didn't say anything.

"All hail Fire King!"

Sid screamed and hid behind Diego. Mini sloths stood below them. Staring up at Sid.

He really wasn't dreaming. If only Mariana could see this...

"Uh. Hi?" Sid said uncertainly.

They all copied him.

"Fire King avert flood," one with blue fur said. "Join us, O great and noble flaming one."

When Sid looked like he was considering, Diego decided to step in. There was no way he was going to lose another person.

"Woah, not so fast there, okay?" he said. "You make a quality offer. But Fire King has a prior commitment. His herd needs him. He is the gooey, sticky... _stuff_ that holds us together. He made this herd, and we'd be nothing without him," he finished, allowing a smile.

"You mean it?" Sid asked. He grabbed Diego in a hug, who wasn't very thrilled.

"Sid. Sid. That doesn't mean 'want to touch'."

The others walked up to him, raising an eyebrow. Mini sloths? Sid hugging Diego? Diego letting him?

Diego sighed. "Don't ask."

They all started looking for Mariana again. They all turned as something started coming through where the flood waters were drained to. They all squinted and were surprised to see... mammoths.

Tons of them! They all filed out, different shapes, sizes, and colors. Manny and Ellie walked up to them, smiling.

"We're not the last ones anymore," Ellie breathed. Their attention was turned to two bickering mammoths.

"... I'm tellin ya, Trina! Get rid of it now, before it wakes up!" one black mammoth said.

The black female beside him, Trina, snorted. "No! Poor thing. As soon as the waters cleared, it was all soggy and cold! How dare you say you want to get rid of her! We just need to find her kind around here."

"Um, can we help you?" Manny asked. "We couldn't help but overhear your conversation."

The male grunted. "No than-"

He was pushed by Trina. "Excuse my mate," she smiled. "And yes. Are there any sabers around here?"

Ellie's eyebrows raised. "Why would you be looking for one?"

"Well, we have a few questions," she smiled. "So is there a pack anywhere near here?"

Manny glared suspiciously at them. "Follow me..."

"So what are your names?" Ellie asked.

"Well, I'm Trina," the woman smiled. "And my mate, Andrew."

He snorted. "Nice to meet you."

"Diego!"

Diego turned around, hearing Manny. He looked at the two black mammoths nervously. "Yeah Manny?"

"These two have questions."

"Okay?"

"You sabers stick together, right?"

Diego eyed them. "Uh, usually. Can I help you?"

"Well, there was a cub that washed up-"

"Really?" he asked, his heart thumping. "Where?"

Trina wrapped her trunk around something on her back, and gently lay down a saber cub. Mariana.

Diego swallowed the lump in his throat, going and nudging her.

"We've already gotten the water out of her lungs, but she hasn't woken up yet. Is she yours?"

Diego kept nuzzling her, not responding. Ellie answered for him. "Yes, she's his cub."

Andrew eyed the two mammoths. "You're friends with this saber?"

"Yeah, what about it?" Manny grunted, going to lay by Mariana. He gently nudged her. "C'mon, honey. You need to wake up."

Everyone held they're breath. But she didn't wake up. Everyone but Trina and Andrew gathered around her. Eddie and Crash grabbed her paws, bursting into a fit of tears. Ellie bowed her head. Manny stroked her back, sniffling. Sid was crying. Diego closed his eyes as the tears flowed. He covered her head with his.

"We should go Trina," Andrew said gently.

She lay her trunk on Diego's shoulder. "We wish you the best of luck," Trina said as he looked up. She reached into her hair and pulled out Mariana's necklace.

"It was lying near her," she said.

Diego sighed as another tear escaped. "Thank you."

Her eyebrows furrowed. "But... She didn't survive..."

"No," he said with great difficulty, "but you kept me from looking for something that wasn't there. You gave me closure. How can I ever repay you?"

She smiled softly. "Oh, I'll be aroun-"

A gasp cut her off. Mariana's brown eyes shot open. She coughed up some water, and her breathing came in rasps.

Diego smiled, overjoyed. "Mariana!"

He rushed up and nuzzled her, more tears escaping his eyes. Everyone smiled.

Mariana shivered, still a little wet. "Daddy, what happened?"

Trina and Andrew slipped away, smiling.

"Mariana, you're okay now," he said. "You fell into the water, but some mammoths found you."

She smiled, nuzzling him back. "I'm cold. And hungry." She jumped up, her natural energy coming back. She crouched and prowled toward Sid, who sweat-dropped. "I think a sloth broth may sound nice right now."

With a tiny roar, she started chasing Sid, who ran around screaming.

Ellie started walking with the last of the mammoths. She looked back, wondering why Manny wasn't with her. "You're not coming?"

"You wanna go with them?" Manny asked.

"I am a mammoth. I should probably be with a mammoth," she chuckled. "Don't you think?"

"Yeah, unless..."

"Unless?"

"Unless I... I just wanna say... I need to tell you..." he struggled. Her eyes looked at him with hope and expectancey. He deflated, losing his courage. "I hope you find everything you're looking for."

Her smile disappeared. "You too."

"Manny," Sid said, Mariana loosing the little amount of energy she had left, "you've come a long way since we met- and I'll take full credit for that- but you need to let go of the past so you can have a future." He smiled. "Go after her."

"It's okay," Diego smiled.

"We'll always be here for you," Mariana said, rubbing up against his leg and purring.

"I'll keep in touch," Manny said, petting his niece.

"Yeah, yeah. You're a good friend," Diego said. "Point made. Now, go on. Scat."

When Manny was gone, Sid smiled. "Our Manny's growing up."

They watched as they got together, smiling. They turned and started walking.

"Well, it's just you, me, and the kid now," Sid said. "Two bachelors knocking about in the wild with a little angel."

Mariana snorted. "I ain't just a little kid."

"Fine. But I'm not gonna carry you," Diego said. "I still have my pride, you know."

"Come on, buddy, for old time's sake?"

"I'll carry him."

Manny grabbed Sid, smiling.

"But your herd's leaving," Mariana said, looking at the mammoths.

"We are now," he said.

They all started walking away. Crash and Eddie jumped on Diego and Mariana's back. They looked at them and smiled.

"Manny, who do you like better? Me or Diego?" Sid asked.

"Diego. It's not even close," he said.

Diego smiled. "Ha! Told you."

"Manny, you can't choose between your brother and your kid!" Ellie scorned.

"He's not my kid. Not even my dog. If I had a dog and my dog had a kid... and the dog's kid had a pet, that would be Sid."

"Can I have a dog, Manny?"

"No."

"Ellie, can I have a dog?"

"Of course you can, sweetie."

"Ellie, we have to be consistent with him."

_**~Kitty~**_

Part 2 completed :) Part 3 on the way! Kitty out :)

_**~Kitty~**_


	14. The Big News

**ON MY NEW LAPTOP SO EXCITED ENJOY FILLER CHAPTER!**

Anyone notice that I keep opening chapters with a hunter!Mariana scene? I just love it so much! And she's so badass in this one :)

_**~Kitty~**_

_**~One and a half years later~**_

A nine-year-old saber girl's claws gripped the icy ground as she stalked her prey. Her breath came in short gasps of anticipation. She glanced at her father. With his approval, the hunt would go according to plan. Whether it was deadly or not, it was her choice.

He nodded. Whenever she was ready was good with him.

Her muscles twitched as she analyzed her prey. Small. Agile. Kind of like her. It would be an even match. They were fast. She would have to be faster.

With a snarl, she pounced.

Crash and Eddie screamed as Mariana snarled at them. They froze, wondering whether to run or play dead.

"_Run_," Mariana growled, as if reading their minds.

They screamed and obeyed. She took chase after them, barely aware of her father following on the side-lines to make sure nothing went wrong. After the flood incident, he had been increasingly protective of his daughter. She rarely went anywhere without him anyway. She didn't mind it; to be honest, she was scared and still had nightmares. She didn't admit it to anyone but her father, but she still stressed about it.

Now, she was putting her stress into catching her older brothers.

They were the closest thing she had to friends in her herd. She loved everyone, but there was barely anyone her age. They weren't her age, but they acted it. That was close enough for her!

She pushed herself forward, chasing them. They split up, and she made a snap decision to go after Crash. Eddie was fast, and Crash had gotten a splinter the other day and was running with a slight hobble.

Diego mentally praised his daughter for her analyzation. Go for the slower, injured, or weaker prey. He almost burst with pride. 'She'll make a great huntress one day,' he thought.

Mariana could feel her strength slowly burning out. She had to end the chase, or it would end in failure. She didn't want to fail, especially in front of her father.

In a burst of incredible strength, Mariana roared- her first real one. It struck fear in Crash and even more pride in Diego. Her paws barely seemed to touch the ground. She was a blur. She zoomed past bushes, stripping them of their leaves. She leapt with a growl.

Crash yelped as he felt something- or someone- tackle him. They rolled around momentarily, before Crash ended up looking up at Mariana's white sabers. She growled menacingly at him, both breathing heavily from the chase. Diego joined them, smiling at her.

"Good job, Mariana! You can let him go now."

Mariana stopped snarling and smiled brightly. She took her paw off of his chest and grinned as she felt his heart still beating rapidly. "Crash, are you okay? Your heart is racing!"

"No, I'm not okay!" he cried. "I thought it was an actual predator!"

Mariana huffed, looking offended. "I am an actual predator! So when you saw it was me, you still ran?"

"You told us too!" Eddie shouted as he came into view.

Mariana rolled her eyes. "Whatev-" She suddenly grinned evilly. "Do I need to show you that I'm a predator?"

They glanced at each other.

"Run."

Diego rolled his eyes, deciding to sit on a rock and keep an eye on them. Mariana chased them around a field, giggling heavily.

They had found a wonderful village to live in after the flood. Plenty of food for everyone: herbivores like Manny, Ellie, and Sid, omnivores like Crash and Eddie, and carnivores like Diego and Mariana (so long as they agreed to hunt out of the village). The neighbors were moderately nice, the only exception being a pair of beavers. They would always attack the herd verbally, criticizing them and mocking them any chance they got. Their usual victims were Sid and Mariana, "the weak ones" as they had pointed out once...

_**~Flashback~**_

_Mariana, Crash, and Eddie had decided to go play around the river around a year after they found the village. Despite Mariana's near-death experiance with the flood waters, she didn't fear small amounts of it like she used to. In fact, she had a new respect for it. She admired how strong yet graceful it could be. She didn't necessarily love water now, but she could tolerate it._

_Mariana had to sneak away from her father. She didn't want him to worry that she was near water. She was a big girl. She could take care of herself._

_At first, they had splashed around in a shallow pool of water that had no current._

_Crash and Eddie attacked the spunky saber cub with the water. She squealed and laughed, trying to get her bearings straight._

_"I'm gonna get you two!" she laughed, then splashed them. The force of the water almost knocked them to their feet, but they managed to remain standing._

_They continued playing until they got tired. They sprawled themselves out in a grassy patch by the river, cloud-gazing._

_"That one looks like Sid!" Mariana giggled._

_"Nah, it's too good looking," Crash dismissed._

_"Nice, bro!" Eddie smiled, and they high-fived._

_"Oh look, if it isn't the herd of misfits," an obnoxiously high voice sneered. Mariana rolled onto her stomach, glaring at the beavers as they walked toward the trio._

_Seeing Mariana's annoyance, Crash and Eddie scurried over to her. "Let's just go," Eddie whispered in her ear._

_The beaver husband, Claude, snickered as he saw them starting to turn away. "What? Running home to your so-called 'herd' so soon? Your daddy wouldn't be proud."_

_Mariana froze at the mention of her father. She slowly turned, much to the protest of Crash and Eddie (who wanted to get out of the potentially harmful situation)._

_"Don't mock him," she said lowly, crouching down and ready to pounce._

_Etta, the wife of Claude, snorted. "It's hard not to. Have you noticed that you two are the only sabers here? There's a reason for that."_

_Mariana growled, quickly losing the temper she inherited from her father. "Take that back!"_

_"Don't yell at my wife!" Claude shouted, getting in Mariana's face. Crash and Eddie pushed him away._

_"You've got some nerve yelling in a saber cub's face, y'know that?" Crash asked._

_"And no morals," Eddie added._

_"I'll do what I please," he said arrogantly. "Her and the sloth are the weaker ones."_

_"I'm not weak!" cried Mariana._

_"So, if I suddenly wanted to throw you in the river, you could fight back?"_

_Mariana and the twins froze. "B-But you wouldn't do that... W-Would you?"_

_The beavers smiled evilly._

_Crash and Eddie's eyes widened as they started advancing. "Mariana, run!" they cried, holding the beavers back to the best of their ability. Mariana ran off, but gasped when she saw Diego jump over her, snarling and growling in the faces of the beavers._

_"If you ever think of touching my daughter again, I swear to every god above that you won't even be a corpse when I'm done with you," he snarled, every hair standing on edge._

_The beavers quickly left after that, not wanting to deal with the grown saber that was more than capable of doing as he promised._

_After yelling at the three for wondering off without his permission, he quickly got Mariana away from the stream, muttering something along the lines of "getting too old for this". To which Mariana replied that she didn't think he was that old, and all was forgiven._

_**~Present~**_

Diego heard Manny approach him, shaking him out of his thoughts. The mammoth looked dazed, and Diego let some of his natural curiousity show. "Hey, what got into you?"

Manny snapped out of whatever trance he had been in and smiled. He practically beemed as he let off perhaps the biggest grin ever. This only made Diego wonder even more. "Gather everyone and meet me at the cave. I... There's something you need to know."

"At least tell me it's good news," Diego pleaded.

"The greatest," Manny breathed, getting misty eyed again. He walked off in the direction of their cave. Diego stared after him, wondering what the heck Manny was talking about.

"Mariana!"

Mariana came soon aftetr he called, Crash and Eddie on her back. "Yeah, Daddy?"

"Head back to the cave. Manny has something to tell us, and I have to find Sid."

"Let us do it, Diego!" Crash shouted excitedly.

"Yeah!" Eddie energetically agreed. "We'll make sure Mariana doesn't do anything dangerous!"

"Hey!" Mariana shouted, looking offended.

Diego just looked amused. "Now why am I having a hard time believing that?"

"Pleeeeeeaaaaase?" they begged, pouting.

Diego rolled his eyes. "Fine. But if you're not back at the cave in ten minutes, I'm coming after you!"

They cheered and ran off, Mariana's nose planted on the ground to try and find the sloth. Crash and Eddie jumped off of her back as she slowed down. "Catch a scent yet?"

"What do you think?" Mariana asked, scrunching her nose. "You could smell him a mile away!"

They found him around five minutes later, in a stream taking his monthly bath. "Ew!" They all cried, gagging.

"Aw man! Wet sloth smell takes forever to get out of my nose!" Mariana shouted over-dramatically, clutching her nose in her small paw.

"Oh, stop that," Sid admonished, combing through his wet fur with is claws. "I'll dry out in a minute."

"Well, we have to meet back at the cave," Crash said.

"Fine fine," Sid smiled, and Mariana led them back to their cave they claimed as theirs. Diego and two extremely happy mammoths greeted them. Mariana curled up by her father, with Crash and Eddie on her back. Sid sat on a dull stalagmite. Manny looked too happy to talk, so Ellie took over.

"Well, as you guys know, Manny and I have been together for a while..." Crash and Eddie scoffed in disgust, but stayed quiet after a warning growl from the sabers and Ellie. "Anyway... We, uh... We're... I'm pregnant," she finished with a smile.

Everyone froze. Slowly, their reactions played through. Sid fainted. Diego looked happy, but nostalgic. Mariana looked excited and was barely containing the urge to get up and squeal. Crash and Eddie finally closed their mouths long enought to blurt out, "WHAT?" which woke Sid up.

"When... How?" Eddie croaked.

"Well..."

"We know how, Sid!" Crash shouted, sparing Mariana by holding her ears hold. She shook him off.

"Congradulations," Diego smiled, nostalgia still present.

"Awesome! I'm gonna have a little cousin! I bet it'll be a girl!" Mariana shouted, running up and nuzzling Ellie and Manny.

In all of the shock and excitement, no one noticed Diego slip away. Except the mother-to-be. She followed him as he made his way to a grassy snowy field and sat down, looking out at the setting sun. "Why did you follow me?"

Ellie, not surprised that he heard her, asked in reply, "Why did you leave? Are you not happy for us?"

Diego sighed. "It's not that, it's..."

When his eyes misted, she realized what he was trying to say. Manny had told her to never approach the tiger about his mate, but she didn't listen to him. She knew he was worried about how Diego would react, but Ellie knew that he was (remotely) harmless. He had laid down his life for his friends; why would he hurt her when she was his best friend's mate?

"What happened?" Ellie asked gently.

Diego sighed. "Her name was Rose. She was the most beautiful saber in the world, and I'm not just saying that. She had left me with Mariana for the day so she could have a girl's day with her friends, but I'm not complaining. Her decision to leave Mari with me is what I am most grateful for..."

He told his story again **(see chapter 6)**, eyes cloudy. Ellie listened intently, nodding every once in a while to let him know she was listening. He never shed a tear, but he told his story with such emotion that he might as well have been bawling his eyes out. When he was through, he sighed. "I was just remembering the moment Mariana was born, but then that lead me to remember Rose and how she..."

Ellie nodded. "I know." She wrapped her trunk around his shoulder. "I can't imagine what it feels like, but I know that things always get better in the end! You've got us and your little girl. You're at the top of the food chain, and you're an amazing father. You're living the life!"

He grinned. "I suppose..."

"Now cheer up and get in the cave and help me celebrate!" she shouted with a grin. "You may be an amazing father, but let's see how you are at being an uncle!"

He followed behind her, chuckling. "Dear gods, give me strength..."

_**~Kitty~**_

Who loves filler chapters? :) Just a bridge between the 2nd movie and the 3rd.

**_*rant*_ ZOMG PART 3 NEXT CHAPTER I CAN'T WAIT! MARIANA IS GOING TO BE LIKE 11 YEARS OLD SHE GROWS UP SO FAST! :') _*end rant*_**

_**~Kitty~**_


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